COMMON POWERUp 2026: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2026!

Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana for POWERUp 2026, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

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8:00am CDT

Implementing Single Sign-On for IBM i

Thursday April 30, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Studio 7-8

Evaluation Survey

Don’t synchronize passwords…eliminate them! IBM i supports connecting to a Windows Active Directory domain to support automatic login to Client Access interfaces based on the currently logged-in PC user. This session will cover everything you need to know about how IBM’s SSO solution works, who can benefit from it, and how to implement it on your own systems. If you’re looking to remove password management from your list of IBM i administrative tasks, this is the session for you!

Learning Objectives:

n/a

Speakers

Nathan Williams

Senior Systems Engineer, CloudFirst Global

As a Senior Systems Engineer on the Service Delivery team at CloudFirst, Nathan provides support and advice on new hardware installations, system migrations, OS upgrades, SAN and VIOS implementations, and more. He has been in an IT support role of one form or another since the mid-1990s... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Studio 7-8

Security

9:15am CDT

From Logs to Action, Integrating IBM i into Your SIEM Ecosystem

Thursday April 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Studio 7-8

Evaluation Survey

IBM i systems often run critical business applications but remain invisible to most security teams. A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platform helps centralize and analyze security data for threat detection and compliance—but what does that mean for IBM i? This session defines SIEM, outlines key IBM i data sources like audit journals and system logs. Learn how to make IBM i a visible, actionable part of your security strategy.

Learning Objectives:

Define SIEM and its role in security and compliance. Identify IBM i data sources relevant to SIEM. Explore integration options for improved visibility and monitoring.

Speakers

Sandi Moore

Sr. Solutions Engineer & IBM Power Champion, Fortra LLC

Sandi Moore is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Fortra with over 20 years of experience supporting systems monitoring and security software. She works extensively with IBM i environments and has been involved in product demonstrations, implementations, support, training, research, and... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Studio 7-8

Security, Security

10:45am CDT

Security for You and A(i)

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Balcony M-N

Evaluation Survey

Adopting AI-based Assistants and Agentic AI tools in your organization? While these technologies are enticing and extremely powerful, the need to consider security during your AI projects is something one must not forget. During this session Scott Forstie and Carol Woodbury will demonstrate the power of using IBM Bob for IBM i security tasks. In addition, they’ll discuss the security safeguards and proper configurations you’ll want to consider when implementing AI.

Learning objective:
Learn the power of using Bob and IBM i for IBM i security tasks as well as considerations for safeguarding your IBM i in the world of AI.

Speakers

Scott Forstie

Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM

Scott Forstie is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his time working as the Db2 for i Architect. He has worked on IBM operating system development since joining IBM in 1989.
Scott is a frequently published author, speaker at industry events... Read More →

Carol Woodbury

IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor, Kisco

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Balcony M-N

Security, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3:00pm CDT

Audit Journaling with Navigator for i

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Galerie 4

Evaluation Survey

Audit journaling on IBM i doesn’t have to be complicated. With IBM Navigator for i, configuring and analyzing audit data is easier than ever. This session will demonstrate how Navigator streamlines audit setup with just a few clicks and simplifies the process of consuming and interpreting audit journal entries. We’ll also highlight performance enhancements that accelerate data analysis and expand the possibilities for leveraging audit data in security and compliance efforts.

Learning Objectives:

`- Learn how to configure audit journaling on IBM i using Navigator for i with minimal effort - Understand how to efficiently consume and analyze audit journal entries through Navigator - Explore performance enhancements and new capabilities that expand the potential of audit data analysis

Speakers

Ann Wilkerson

Software Developer, IBM

Ann Wilkerson is a lead user interface developer in IBM i. She joined the Rochester lab in 2021 and has since worked on Navigator, IBM i Services, and IBM i Migrate While Active. Her focus areas include security, networking, and the IFS.

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Galerie 4

Security, Systems Management

3:00pm CDT

Locking Down Your Data: Best practices for Encryption on IBM i

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Studio 9-10

Evaluation Survey

Encryption is your last line of defense against data breaches but implementing it effectively on IBM i requires the right knowledge and strategy. In this session, we’ll go beyond the “why” and dive into the “how.” We’ll cover what is sensitive data and what data you should be encrypting. We’ll cover the technical methods for encrypting sensitive data on IBM i, from disk level encryption to integrated encryption solutions. We’ll also explore key management, performance trade-offs, compliance considerations, and practical scenarios where one approach might be more effective than another. Attendees will walk away with actionable knowledge to evaluate encryption methods and sustainable encryption strategy for their IBM i environment.

Learning Objectives:

Understanding of the available encryption methods on IBM i How to evaluate your encryption requirements Actionable list of next steps to start your encryption implementation

Speakers

Sandi Moore

Sr. Solutions Engineer & IBM Power Champion, Fortra LLC

Megan Olson

Software Developer and Product Manager, Fortra

Megan Olson is a Software Engineer and Product Manager at Fortra. Megan began her career at Fortra in 2021 as a Software Engineer Intern after earning her degree in Software Development in 2020. She has a strong technical focus on system security, product development, and driving... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Studio 9-10

Security, Database, Programming: General, Security

4:15pm CDT

Demystifying DCM

Thursday April 30, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

In this session we will explain what digital certificates are, how they work, and how to manage them on IBM i with Digital Certificate Manager (DCM). We will cover the basics of cryptography, hashing, signatures, SSL/TLS, PKI, Certificate Authorities, and more.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basics of public-key cryptography 2. Understand the purpose for digital certificates 3. Understand how to store and manage certificates in DCM

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Senior Consultant & Instructor, Seiden Group & imPower Technologies

Thursday April 30, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

Security, Systems Management

4:15pm CDT

Ransomware and IBM i

Thursday April 30, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm CDT

Studio 3-4

Evaluation Survey

Today, there are no known ransomware viruses that run directly on IBM i. However, that does not mean that the IBM i is not at risk. In this practical session, you will learn how to keep your IBM i system safe from Ransomware attacks. Don't miss this critical session! COMMON GOLD medal session.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the threats to IBM i Implement practices to protect the IBM i from those threats

Speakers

Robert Andrews

Principal Security Consultant, IBM

Robert Andrews is a Principal Security Consultant, Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM), and Team Lead for the IBM i Security Expert Labs team in Rochester, MN. An IBM Certified Thought Leader and The Open Group Distinguished Technical Specialist, Robert has specialized in IT security... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm CDT
Studio 3-4

Security, Security

8:00am CDT

9:15am CDT

10:45am CDT

3:00pm CDT

3:00pm CDT

4:15pm CDT

4:15pm CDT

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