imPower Technologies

10/15/2026

Connect everything. Expose nothing.
APIs make it possible to connect IBM i applications and data to the systems, services, and applications your business relies on.
But every API is also a door.
The question is whether your team knows how to secure it.
For IBM i developers, working with APIs means understanding much more than how to send and receive data. HTTPS, digital certificates, PKI, cryptography, OAuth, encoding, and authentication all play a role in building secure integrations.
That’s why API knowledge needs to include security from the start.
Our RESTful APIs on IBM i workshop with IBM Champion Patrick Behr gives developers hands-on experience consuming and providing APIs on IBM i, with in-depth coverage of the security concepts they need to understand along the way.
30 hours of self-paced training, hands-on exercises, labs, and quizzes, with a maximum two-week course duration.
Learn more about the course: https://impowertechnologies.com/restful_apis_ibmi/

10/13/2026

AI can help you write RPG faster. It can help you understand unfamiliar code, generate SQL, build APIs, and speed up modernization work.
But AI doesn’t replace the need to understand the system underneath it.
That’s especially important on IBM i, where decades of business-critical data, applications, and processes are still running today.
As AI becomes part of development, foundational knowledge of IBM i, RPG, Db2, and how these systems work together becomes even more valuable. Developers need to know what they’re asking AI to change, what the data represents, and what could happen when something goes wrong.
As Talsco puts it, “The code was always the part you could replace. The data is the business.”
AI can accelerate the work. It still takes knowledgeable developers to guide it.
That’s why building strong IBM i and RPG fundamentals matters, whether you’re training someone new to the platform or helping experienced developers prepare for what’s next.
Read the full article from Talsco: https://www.talscoinc.com/talsco-weekly-data-is-the-application/

RPG developers know that data is the application. AI can help make things more efficient, but developers supply the judgement. Talsco Weekly.

10/08/2026

If staying current with IBM i means keeping up with new tools, technologies, and development practices, October is a good time to make that a priority.
COMMON NAViGATE and IBM TechXchange are coming together in Atlanta October 25–29, bringing IBM i and Power professionals together for a full week of technical sessions, hands-on learning, and conversations with others working through the same challenges.
It’s an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, learn something new, and bring ideas back to your team.
📅 October 25–29, 2026
📍 Atlanta, GA
Register to attend both: https://www.common.org/navigate-at-techxchange/

Deep IBM i education within one of the largest technical conferences in the world.

10/06/2026

Looking for a good IBM i conversation this month?
Join WMCPA on October 8 for the monthly educational meeting featuring Larry Bolhuis and two sessions covering lessons learned from a long career in IT and practical ways to clean up your IBM i environment.
4:30 PM | What I Learned in 44 Years in I.T.
From a B.S. in Computer Science to corporate life to retirement, Larry will share what has changed, what has stayed the same, and what has swung back and forth over the years.
7:30 PM | Clean Up Your i.
Disk space is only part of the cleanup. This session takes a broader look at the "trash" that can accumulate in an IBM i environment.
📅 October 8 at 4:00 PM
📍 Clifford’s Supper Club | Hales Corners, WI
A great opportunity to learn, compare experiences, and connect with other IBM i professionals.
Learn more and register: https://wmcpa.org/events/october-dinner-meeting/

10/01/2026

What does effective IBM i training actually need to accomplish?

It’s easy to measure training by whether someone completes a course. But for technical teams, the bigger question is whether that person can think through a problem independently when the course is over.

That’s one of the things that stood out to us in this testimonial from Steven Davis of The H.T. Hackney Co.

Steven describes how our RPG training focuses on writing code AND on learning the process of designing programs, troubleshooting problems, and thinking like a developer.

With IBM i skills in high demand and many teams struggling to find the time to train new developers, training needs to transfer technical knowledge and build problem-solving skills, confidence, and the ability to keep learning.

That’s the goal behind our approach at imPower: give developers the hands-on experience and guidance they need to become capable, independent IBM i professionals.

As Steven put it, the impact on his career “cannot be stated enough.”

What do you think is the most important outcome of technical training?

Learn more about our courses: https://impowertechnologies.com/classes/

09/24/2026

Your IBM i team might be bigger than one person. But is your knowledge?

Ash Giddings’ recent article in IT Jungle highlights a risk that many smaller IBM i shops may recognize: the “team of one.”

You may have two, three, or more people supporting your IBM i environment, but if only one person knows the disaster recovery process, application dependencies, backup procedures, security workarounds, or how to handle a critical incident, you still have a single point of failure.

And that risk isn’t solved by having HA/DR technology in place.

True resilience also requires shared knowledge, documented processes, cross-training, and regular testing.

For IBM i organizations facing retirements, leaner IT teams, and modernization demands, this raises an important question:

If your most experienced IBM i person were unavailable tomorrow, could your team confidently keep the business running?

It’s worth asking before you need to know the answer.

Read the full article in IT Jungle: https://www.itjungle.com/2026/08/24/when-your-small-ibm-i-team-is-really-a-team-of-one/

IBM i has long been associated with efficiency. Its reliability, integrated architecture, and low administrative overhead have enabled organizations to run critical business applications with relatively small teams. That same efficiency has created an emerging risk: in many smaller shops, operationa...

09/22/2026

How do you stay valuable as technology changes?

In his article Surviving IT: Career Advice for IT Professionals, Paul Cunningham makes a compelling case for becoming “T-shaped”, developing broad knowledge across technologies while building deeper expertise in the areas that matter most.

For IBM i professionals, that could mean expanding beyond RPG into SQL, APIs, automation, and modern development practices.

But the goal isn’t to chase every new technology. It’s to keep expanding your ability to solve problems and deliver value to the business.

Technology skills have a shelf life. Your ability to learn, adapt, and apply new skills is what keeps your career moving forward.

What skill are you adding to your toolbox this year?

Read the full article: https://survivingitbook.com/career-advice-for-it-professionals/

How should IT professionals look to grow their career in the coming year?

09/17/2026

Two events. One week of learning.

This October, COMMON’s NAViGATE is joining IBM’s TechXchange in Atlanta for a combined experience designed to help IBM i professionals build skills, explore new technology, and connect with the community.

📅 October 25–29, 2026
📍 Atlanta, GA

Your registration gives you access to both events, including hands-on sessions, technical education, and plenty of opportunities to network with fellow IBM i professionals.

If you’re looking to sharpen your skills and stay current with what’s happening across the IBM i and Power ecosystem, this is one to have on your calendar.

Register to attend both: https://www.common.org/navigate-at-techxchange/

Deep IBM i education within one of the largest technical conferences in the world.

09/15/2026

Missed a session at POWERUp 26? There’s still time to catch up.

POWERUp 26 may be behind us, but the learning doesn’t have to be.

COMMON has released Part 1 of the POWERUp 26 session recordings, giving you a chance to catch sessions you missed, revisit a topic you found useful, or explore something new.

Whether you attended in person or couldn’t make it this year, the recordings are a great way to keep the learning going.

Part 1 is now available to watch: https://learn.common.org/products/powerup-2026-recordings-part-1

POWERUp 26 may be behind us, but there’s still plenty to gain from the session recordings. Whether you missed a session, want a refresher, or simply want to relive the experience, part one of the POWERUp sessions is now available to watch.

09/10/2026

What does the IBM i marketplace look like from your perspective?

Fortra and COMMON are conducting a marketplace survey to gather insights from IBM i shops and professionals about their experiences, challenges, priorities, and plans.

Take a few minutes to share what’s happening in your IBM i shop. Your input will help build a clearer picture of where the IBM i community stands today, and where it’s headed.

Complete the survey now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/COMMON-Fortra-AI-Survey-LinkedIn

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.