John Westcott is the Db2 for i Team Lead in IBM Technology Expert Labs. John is highyly skilled in SQL, RPG, Data Analytics, Rest API, and both database and application modernization. John has over 35 years of experience on IBM i and it's past family of names. John has a storied career as consultant, business owner, VP, CIO, and a proud employee IBM i.

40+ years experience in the IT industry primarily in the S/3, S/3X, AS/400, iSeries, System i, and IBM i platform. Additional platform experiences includes WINTEL, AIX, and Mainframe environments.

Steve has spent several years in IBM with positions spanning basic research to product development, product offering and marketing. He is the product offering manager for IBM Power Systems with responsibility for PowerHA for AIX, PowerHA for IBM i and the CBU.

Brian Nordland is the architect for the PowerHA SystemMirror for i product at HelpSystems. Brian has spoken at events, webinars, and users groups—including COMMON—since 2014. He is a co-inventor on multiple patent applications and co-author on technical publications in high availability and distributed computing.

Prior to joining HelpSystems Brian spent six years with IBM in Rochester, Minnesota. Roles at IBM included being the development architect for PowerHA and working on IBM i virtual I/O and communication I/O device drivers. He earned his master's degree in software engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2017.

Aaron is an experienced software developer with experience in backup and recovery software products.
He has strong communication skills, with background in object oriented programming, software design,
agile/lean development, and test.

Tim Rowe is the Business Architect for IBM i responsible for System Management and Application Development. He has a passion for modernization on IBM i and how we can continue to move IBM i into the world of 'Normal' . In his spare time he is a certified Soccer referee and enjoys refereeing games with his youngest son.

Scott Forstie is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his time working as the Db2 for i Business Architect. He has worked on IBM operating system development since joining IBM in 1989.

Scott is a frequently published author, speaker at industry events around the globe and can be found @Forstie_IBMi and forstie@us.ibm.com. Scott is an avid runner and enjoys cooking.

Jack is a consulting programmer with over 30 years' experience in open source. He authors Ublu, an open source remote language for IBM i. He specializes in open source modernization on IBM i. He is currently experimenting with connecting IBM i to IBM Q quantum computing via the open source Qiskit.

Sandi has been working with Fortra customers for over 15 years supporting systems monitoring and security software. With experience on IBM i, AIX, and Linux, she has been involved in product demonstrations, implementation, support, training, research, and product testing.

In her time at Fortra, Sandi has helped customers understand how to effectively address the threats they face. Her goal is to help people achieve the best solution to their IT problems, no matter how many servers are in their environment or where in the world they’re located.

Organizations throughout the public and private sectors have relied on Sandi’s expertise, whether they’re seeking to proactively protect their systems or improve security controls after a malware attack. Sandi has shared her knowledge at multiple user group conferences, including COMMON.

Tony Owens is a recognized figure in the IT industry, particularly known for his expertise in IBM Storage solutions. He has been an IBM Champion since 2020 and has worked with various storage technologies and has contributed to the development and promotion of IBM's storage products, including systems for data management, backup, and cloud storage solutions.

Owens is often involved in educating others about storage best practices and emerging technologies, participating in conferences, and sharing knowledge through various platforms. His contributions help organizations optimize their data storage strategies and navigate the complexities of modern data environments.

Tony Owens has a background that includes being a former hacker. He has discussed his journey from hacking to working in the IT industry, focusing on security and data management. His experiences as a hacker have given him unique insights into cybersecurity, and he often emphasizes the importance of security in storage and data management solutions. This perspective helps him advocate for robust security practices in the industry.

Tony Owens’ transition from being a hacker to a respected professional in the IT industry is quite interesting. He has often spoken about how his early experiences with hacking shaped his understanding of technology and security. Initially, he was drawn to the technical challenges and the thrill of exploring systems, but over time, he recognized the ethical implications and potential consequences of his actions.

This realization led him to shift his focus toward using his skills for constructive purposes, such as improving cybersecurity measures and helping organizations protect their data. He has emphasized the importance of understanding vulnerabilities from a hacker's perspective to better defend against them.

Owens has also been active in educating others about cybersecurity best practices, sharing his insights at conferences and through various platforms. His journey reflects a broader theme in the tech community, where many individuals leverage their unique backgrounds to contribute positively to the industry.