Welcome to IBM InterConnect 2016!

By Andy Youniss on February 21, 2016 in Business Intelligence & Analytics, Community, Events, Mainframe, Partners

What a week it’s been! Last Tuesday I was in Orlando for IBM PartnerWorld, where we announced that Rocket is providing an entitlement to a non-production license of Rocket® Data Virtualization Version 2.1 (Rocket DV) for every new IBM z13 and z13s system. We also announced the inaugural Rocket Launchpad, an innovative engagement model designed to help organizations develop creative solutions to solve their most challenging data problems.

But that was last week – ancient history in the fast-moving world of Rocket. This week dozens of Rocketeers are in Las Vegas for InterConnect 2016, IBM’s premier mobile and cloud conference. We’ll be presenting a number of sessions, meeting with customers and partners, and hosting the great Elton John for a concert that’s open to all show attendees. Here are three key things I’m looking forward to this week:

On Wednesday we’ll be hosting a MeetUp featuring mainframe industry experts followed by the first-ever hackZone (MGM Grand Room 122; Sign Up @ http://bit.ly/1WmXrDB) to showcase the power of z Systems in application development. Everyone is invited, but we are looking for folks who want to get their hands dirty in writing some code that either runs on the mainframe or at least accesses data (or programs or screens) on the mainframe. There will be plenty of giveaways, including a VIP pass to see Elton John, Raspberry Pi prizes, and LinuxONE and z Systems prizes.

IBM has introduced the new z13s system, focused on security and hybrid clouds. Look for a lot of excitement at InterConnect around how organizations can move their data closer to their analytics on this compact, powerful, new system.

I’m usually not a fan of buzzwords and catchphrases, but there’s a new one that I love: Collaborative Business Intelligence. It’s the intersection of BI software with collaboration tools to improve the business decision-making process. This is at the heart of what Rocket does, and is a core component of our Rocket Discover BI tool. If you’re at InterConnect, come by our booth (#501 @ the Mandalay Bay Conference Center) to learn more about how collaborative BI is changing the rules.

I hope to see you this week at the Rocket Booth, at hackZone, or at the many sessions being led by Rocket’s technical experts. But if we miss each other, you should definitely register to win a Fender Stratocaster guitar that we’re giving away on Wednesday night at the Elton John show. See you there!

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Andy Youniss

Andy Youniss co-founded Rocket Software in 1990 and continues to be the company's main driving force. Andy successfully established and actively manages Rocket's largest OEM partnerships and is guiding the company's growth through technology investments, acquisitions, new product lines, and strategic partnerships. Prior to founding Rocket Software, Andy was the development manager for DB View Inc., a software company specializing in DB2 database tools. Previously, he was a programmer/analyst at American Management Systems, and was also a project development consultant. Andy holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.