COMMON Expands Its Focus to Meet Members’ Modern IT Needs
The IBM i user group offers education on AI, quantum and other adjacent technologies
IT environments no longer exist in silos. Hybrid cloud remains the norm for organizations. And AI use continues to grow. These trends affect IBM i just as they do other OSes and are among the reasons COMMON has added sessions on adjacent technologies to its POWERUp conference.
Most recently, at the 2025 POWERUp conference in Anaheim, California, COMMON offered an entire track of 20 sessions on adjacent technologies including hybrid cloud, AI, quantum, AWS and more. This initiative aims to help members align with the hybrid IT environments that have become the norm in modern enterprises.
“Everything that we do around expanding adjacent technologies has been just looking at the needs of our members,” explains Manzoor Siddiqui, COMMON executive director. “We’ve talked to members, we’ve done surveys, we listened to members at LUG (IBM Large User Group) meetings and other places. And the reality is that these adjacent technologies are already running in our members’ IBM i shops.”
Recognizing this shift, COMMON’s leadership has made it a priority to provide education that reflects the interconnected nature of today’s IT ecosystems. This means catering to newer IT professionals entering roles with broader technological scopes. “They’re not coming into these companies knowing IBM i in isolation. They’re getting into integrated ecosystems,” Siddiqui adds.
Strategizing the COMMON POWERUp Curriculum
To develop the right mix of topics, COMMON has relied heavily on input from its community, vendor partners and industry trends. Feedback didn’t just shape the initiative, but also highlighted areas of immediate interest, such as hybrid cloud, VS Code adoption and AI.
“We gave a little bit of a smattering of topics,” explains Floyd Del Muro, COMMON’s president, describing the organization’s effort to ensure a wide-ranging introduction to adjacent technologies. One standout trend has been the adoption of VS Code, which Del Muro noted is now the “IDE of choice” for half of developers, according to a recent survey.
COMMON is leveraging this experimental phase to refine its plans, ensuring the education tracks meet today’s needs while also adapting to future industry requirements.
The response to these expanded offerings has been overwhelmingly positive. Members appreciated the breadth of session topics, with strong attendance recorded at events discussing AI and hybrid cloud. “A lot of people were really excited about the variety and options we provided,” says Del Muro.
One encouraging sign is the high number of first-time attendees drawn to COMMON events. This underscores the larger appeal of integrating IBM i expertise with broader IT knowledge.
Challenges and Solutions
While expansion has been well-received, COMMON is fine-tuning the execution of its vision. One primary hurdle has been identifying experts who truly understand both IBM i and adjacent technologies. “The hardest part for us is really knowing who to go out and ask and speak with,” says Del Muro.
To address gaps, COMMON has reached out to partners nationally and internationally, building a stronger network. Additionally, the organization ensures that the new tracks complement rather than replace its core IBM i focus.
“We’re not moving away from IBM i offerings,” Siddiqui explains. “It’s about meeting the needs of members who are working in more comprehensive IT environments.”
A Roadmap for Growth
Looking ahead, COMMON plans to expand and adapt its initiatives through member feedback and event performance metrics. Specific events are being refined to meet different needs. For example, the NAViGATE conference will focus on specialized, in-depth learning tracks, while POWERUp will maintain its status as a broader-reaching IBM i community event.
To further support its vision, COMMON is also exploring collaborations with providers like AWS and Microsoft, which could provide additional learning opportunities for members who are already working in hybrid environments.
Continued Commitment to Member Value
Through its new focus on adjacent technologies, COMMON underscores its commitment to helping IT professionals stay competitive and confident in an evolving tech landscape. By blending traditional IBM i expertise with education on emerging tools like AI and cloud platforms, COMMON is securing its role as a vital resource for the IBM i community.
“We’re not getting away from any of our offerings or any of the benefits we offer the IBM i professionals,” Siddiqui says. “They’re dealing with more in their environments, and COMMON will continue to support their evolving needs.”