A word from our 2021 Conference sponsors …
Looking ahead to November’s event, Virtually the best way to learn about Z, why do these organissations support us, and what do they think of the event? We hear from three: BMC Software, Zetaly and Luminex (Partner One).
“GSE UK is one of the most influential user group events in the UK,” says Mira Inanova of BMC Software.
“Planned and run by Z community volunteers for the Z community, without bias, the conference gives the opportunity for members and attendees to exchange ideas, deepen their knowledge, and broaden their perspectives.”
She believes that because this is the only conference focused purely on the Z platform, “it keeps the mainframe relevant by promoting diversity and sustainability in the industry through a variety of educational tracks and relevant content. It’s a unique opportunity for those in the mainframe industry to meet, share knowledge and ideas, and bring a fresh perspective to their respective organizations.”
“Everyone comes away energized, with enhanced knowledge and new perspectives to consider.”
Caroline Lebeau of independent software vendor Zetaly, which specializes in z/OS, says being part of what she describes as “the great European mainframe family” is vitally important. “Zetaly is totally committed to the community that is represented by GSE UK,” she explains. “We have been a member of GSE UK for many years and are pleased to again renew our support for the annual conference. It offers an amazing opportunity for us to share, meet and learn more about new technologies, solutions and expertise.”
“It’s a valuable way to catch up with the latest mainframe solutions, innovations and trends in one place at one time.”
This theme is echoed by Brian Hawley of Luminex: “Luminex has recognized the value of GSE UK to the industry for many years. The ability to meet in person or virtually and discuss activity and developments in the mainframe space is important to the wellbeing of the environment. As a vendor, it allows us to get a better understanding of the challenges customers face and how Luminex can help overcome them.”
“GSE UK is an opportunity for the mainframe community to exchange information on best practices, industry trends and new developments.”
The GSE UK Virtual Conference 2021 takes place from 2nd to 11th November, 7:00am – 8:00pm.
Last year’s conference was a huge success, attracting more than 1,200 attendees and 11,500 session attendances from 37 countries. This year we have more than 240 across seven virtual rooms. Registration is open. You can customise your own agenda quickly and easily. Register here and you can find the conference agenda here.
Keynote sessions for 2021 include:
- ‘Colleagues in Corvettes Getting Cappuccinos’ by Broadcom’s Greg Lotko – the latest mainframe trends and best practices.
- ‘Don’t call us special’ by Natwest Group’s Chris Booth – DevOps to meet complex and increasing demands on the mainframe.
- ‘Infrastructure and Application Modernization on IBM Z with Red Hat OpenShift’ by IBM’s Marcel Mitran – how Z and Red Hat can empower enterprises to innovate at scale.
- ‘The Road to Digital Transformation is Paved with AIOps, SecOps, and DevOps’ by BMC Software’s John McKenny – mainframe-inclusive AIOps, SecOps, and DevOps.
- ‘Where Next? Keeping the mainframe relevant’ by Next Retail’s Ian Thompson – how the mainframe is still at the core of the business, keeping it relevant in a changing IT ecosystem.
- ‘Carbon Capture’ by IBM UK’s Geeth de Mel.
Lunch & Learn sessions cover topics including ‘Do You Really Understand Mainframe Modernization?(Misty Decker), ‘Imposter Syndrome’ (Resli Costabell), ‘Five Tips to Energize Your Next Presentation’ (Glenn Anderson) and ‘SecOps, SOAR and how to build a strategy for your mainframe’ (BMC).