The Future of BRMS: IBM and Fortra Partnership, a New Web Interface, and What’s Coming Next

Discover how Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) continues to evolve to help organizations protect their business-critical IBM i applications and data. Join IBM Business Partner Fortra experts Brian Nordland, Bob Butcher, and Aaron Fistler for an IBM i Guided Tour exploring the strategic partnership between IBM and Fortra and how the two organizations work together to deliver, support, and enhance BRMS. The speakers will demonstrate the newer BRMS web interface and show how it can simplify the management of backup, recovery, and media operations. Attendees will also learn practical ways to strengthen recovery readiness, streamline administration, and get more value from BRMS. The session will conclude with a preview of an upcoming BRMS certification course and badge designed to help IBM i professionals validate and expand their BRMS skills.

Brian Nordland

Software Architect, HelpSystems

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 Fistler

Principal Software Engineer

Fortra

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.

Bob Butcher

Sr. Solutions Engineer

Fortra

Bob has worked on the IBM Power platform since 1995, building a career that spans systems administration, automation, programming, and security. Over the years, he has led major initiatives using Fortra solutions, including automating thousands of enterprise jobs with Robot Schedule, engineering a remote data center and implementing Robot HA after a catastrophic hurricane‑driven flood, and protecting critical Power systems during a ransomware attack that compromised over 50 Windows servers. His deep knowledge of SQL, CL, RPG, and Power security, combined with real‑world crisis experience, has made him a trusted authority in designing resilient, efficient, and secure Power environments.

Bob lives in Cary, North Carolina, where he balances his technical passions with an active lifestyle. When he’s not solving complex automation or security challenges, you’ll likely find him at CrossFit, cheering on NC State basketball, or exploring local trails on his mountain bike.

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