Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire | 2–5 November 2026
Four days, hundreds of mainframe professionals, an impressive amount of technical knowledge, countless cups of coffee, and probably more than a few conversations that started with “back in my day…”.
Welcome to GS | Forge26.
The GS-UK Conference returned to Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire, bringing together professionals from across the mainframe ecosystem to learn, exchange experiences, challenge assumptions and, occasionally, debate whether ISPF remains the greatest development environment ever created.
I’ll leave that particular argument for another day.
This year’s conference introduced a new identity and placed Artificial Intelligence firmly on the agenda. But beneath the new name and the enthusiasm surrounding AI, something much more familiar remained: a community of professionals who understand that some of the world’s most critical IT systems do not need to be fashionable to be indispensable.
What was particularly encouraging was the attention given to the next generation of mainframe professionals. Alongside experienced systems programmers, developers, architects, security specialists and technology leaders, Forge26 created opportunities for students and recent graduates to discover an industry that is very much alive.
That is not a minor detail. It is essential to the future of the platform.
For those of us who have spent a considerable part of our professional lives working with mainframes, conferences like this are about much more than attending presentations. They are opportunities to exchange knowledge, reconnect with colleagues and occasionally discover that a problem we have been investigating for weeks was solved by somebody else several years ago.
That alone can justify the trip.
A New Name, but the Same Community Spirit
GS | Forge26 represents a new chapter for the GS-UK Conference.
The name is particularly appropriate. The concept of bringing skilled people together, working through challenges and creating something stronger captures what the mainframe community has been doing for decades.
The conference programme brought together an extensive range of technical subjects, including Artificial Intelligence, application development, operating systems, security, performance, databases, automation and modernisation.
The breadth of the programme was encouraging. It also presented a familiar conference problem: deciding which sessions to attend when several interesting presentations were taking place simultaneously. Attending everything would have required cloning yourself.
Despite all the discussions about AI, I don’t believe we’ve quite solved that problem yet.
AI, AI, and a Little More AI
Artificial Intelligence was undoubtedly one of the major themes at Forge26.
The programme covered practical AI-assisted development, automation, operations and new approaches to interacting with mainframe services.
The Open Mainframe Project programme included Elliot Jalley’s Building AI Experiences on Top of Zowe Foundations: Introducing Zowe MCP Server and Joe Winchester’s Hello Mainframe! Using Zowe in an AI World with MCP Agents to Talk to z/OS.
These are interesting developments. Technologies such as Zowe and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can provide new ways for AI applications to interact with established mainframe services.
But we should distinguish between what is technically possible and what is operationally acceptable.
MCP provides a standardised mechanism for connecting AI applications with tools and services. It does not, by itself, guarantee that those tools are secure, that the AI’s decisions are correct or that operations are appropriately authorised.
Authentication, authorisation, least privilege, auditing, input validation and human oversight remain essential.
An AI agent that can recommend a change is one thing. An AI agent that can execute that change against production resources is something entirely different.
Anyone who has experienced an unexpected production outage will understand why.
BMC and the Practical Application of AI
BMC Software was represented across several areas of the conference.
Anthony Anter contributed presentations addressing AI, application development and modern delivery practices, including AI Isn’t Just for Developers—It’s Your New Strategic Management Engine.
Other BMC contributors included Alan Warhurst, whose AI Augmented Incident Management addressed the application of AI to operations, and Marcus Davage, whose DBA 2.0 – Making Change the DBA’s Advantage explored Db2 change management.
Prema Jogdand contributed to the programme’s observability discussions, while Anthony DiStauro addressed responsible AI adoption and governance.
These subjects matter because modernisation is not simply about introducing new tools. It is about improving how organisations develop, operate and manage business-critical systems.
The challenge is not simply making the mainframe AI-enabled.
It is making AI enterprise-ready.
Cybersecurity: A Reputation Is Not a Security Control
Security is particularly close to my professional interests. As Chairman of the GS-UK Security Stream, I naturally take a special interest in this part of the conference.
This year’s programme demonstrated how much mainframe security has evolved.
RACF, access management, cryptography and auditing remain essential. But the conversation increasingly includes threat modelling, penetration testing, vulnerability research, AI, automation and cyber resilience.
What I appreciate about this combination is that it acknowledges an important reality: protecting a mainframe requires both a solid understanding of established security disciplines and an awareness of how the wider threat landscape is changing.
Some of our problems remain remarkably familiar. Excessive privileges, weak configurations, inadequate monitoring and poorly managed credentials are hardly new.
Unfortunately, neither are their consequences.
RACF: Fifty Years and Still Going Strong
RACF featured prominently in the Security Stream, and rightly so.
Mark Nelson from IBM contributed two particularly relevant presentations: RACF Update: z/OS 3.2 and More! and The Unadulterated History of RACF.
The sessions offered complementary perspectives: the continuing development of RACF and the history of a security product that has protected enterprise environments for decades.
RACF’s longevity is remarkable, although longevity alone is not a security guarantee.
Its effectiveness depends on how organisations design, administer, monitor and maintain their security controls.
Niall Ashley from Vertali brought another perspective with The Fast and the RACFurious: Performance Drift.
An excellent title, although I suspect analysing RACF performance is slightly less glamorous than driving a modified sports car.
The underlying subject is important. Security controls must be effective without introducing unnecessary operational overhead.
The programme also included John Pinkowski from Broadcom, presenting Prepare for the Security of Today and Tomorrow with ACF2, Top Secret, and Cleanup.
It is important that the Security Stream represents different enterprise security managers and approaches.
RACF, ACF2 and Top Secret environments may have different administrative models and capabilities, but their organisations face many of the same underlying challenges involving identity, authorisation, governance and risk.
Understanding How Attackers Think
One area I believe deserves greater attention in mainframe security is the adoption of threat-led approaches.
Jonathan Prince from NVISO presented Six Degrees of SPECIAL: Attack Path Modelling for RACF. This is a particularly interesting area of security research.
Looking at permissions individually may not reveal the full picture. Relationships between users, groups, privileges and resources can create paths to sensitive access that are not immediately obvious.
Understanding these relationships helps organisations move beyond simply reviewing access lists towards examining how permissions could be combined or abused.
Matthew Rigby from Barclays approached security assessment from another angle with Threat led auditing (a different approach to auditing).
This raises a question that deserves serious attention: “are we assessing whether our systems satisfy a set of documented controls, or are we also assessing whether those controls would withstand realistic attacks?”
Both activities matter, but they are not interchangeable.
Passing an audit does not automatically mean that an organisation is secure.
It means the organisation has satisfied the requirements of that particular audit. There is a difference.
Penetration Testing: From Theory to Practice
Kev Milne from Neuro Training contributed The Day The Mainframe Stood Still: How a Real, Plausible Attack Would Affect Us. The session examined the potential technical and business consequences of a realistic mainframe-related cyberattack.
Kev also delivered the four-part workshop Penetration Testing the Mainframe from Outside to In. The workshop programme covered external reconnaissance, network services, APIs, TN3270, SSH, FTP and potential weaknesses that could provide attackers with opportunities to compromise critical systems.
These are important subjects because attackers do not necessarily begin their activities on the mainframe. A compromised workstation, an exposed application, a stolen credential or a vulnerable integration point may provide the initial opportunity.
The mainframe could be the ultimate target without being the initial point of entry. After all, attackers rarely respect the boundaries of our organisational charts.
Ray Overby from Rocket Software contributed Mainframe Penetration Testing 101: A Critical Layer in Vulnerability Management, as well as Unpacking the Mythos Phenomenon and Its Impact on Mainframe Vulnerability Strategies. These presentations addressed another essential consideration: vulnerability management must be based on technical evidence, an understanding of realistic exposure and the ability to prioritise risk.
Security claims, whether reassuring or alarming, deserve scrutiny.
Protecting What Matters
The Security Stream also included presentations addressing internal threats, cryptography, secrets and authentication.
John Crossno from Phoenix Software International presented Tackling the Evil Within Before Real Damage Is Done, examining the importance of identifying and responding to internal security risks.
Pradeep Parameshwaran from IBM contributed Mainframe Mythos and Can You Keep A Secret?, bringing attention to emerging security questions and the protection of sensitive information.
Colman O’Carroll from Virtel presented OpenSSH on RACF with Certificates, an important subject as organisations increasingly use certificate-based authentication and modern integration methods.
Jessica Doherty from Broadcom contributed It’s 2026, Do You Know Where Your Crypto Is? The title captures an important challenge.
Before organisations can improve cryptographic security or prepare for future algorithm transitions, they must understand where cryptography is being used, which applications depend on it and how keys, certificates and protocols are managed. Anyone who has investigated an expired production certificate knows that even apparently simple cryptographic problems can become remarkably complicated. Usually at the least convenient moment.
AI Security and Cyber Resilience
Claire Connor from Geniez AI presented Embracing AI Without Compromising Mainframe Security. AI-assisted workflows introduce opportunities, but they also require organisations to address risks involving sensitive information, prompt injection, tool permissions, model behaviour and operational accountability.
The established principles of mainframe security remain relevant. The challenge is applying them consistently as new technologies and interfaces are introduced.
The wider conference programme also examined cyber resilience and recovery.
A backup is an important component of resilience, but it is not a complete recovery strategy.
Organisations need to consider recovery-data integrity, protected copies, system dependencies, restoration procedures, recovery times and the possibility that attackers have compromised more than the original production environment. A backup that has never been restored is a promise, not proof.
Mark Wilson from Vertali also presented Mainframes and the Dark Web – 2026 Reboot, addressing the wider cyber threat landscape and its implications for mainframe security.
Mainframe Shield: Taking the Security Conversation Further
One particularly relevant community initiative at Forge26 was Mainframe Shield.
Mainframe Shield is a Vertali-led initiative focused on strengthening mainframe cybersecurity awareness, education and professional collaboration. It is a community initiative rather than a software product.
Its first in-person community meeting was scheduled during Forge26, with Mark Wilson and Kev Milne discussing the implications of increasingly capable AI models for mainframe security.
The programme also included a roundtable under the Chatham House Rule.
I believe these discussions are important. Security professionals need opportunities to exchange experiences, question assumptions and explore emerging risks without every conversation becoming a product demonstration.
No organisation has all the answers. And learning from somebody else’s experience is generally preferable to discovering the same weakness during your own incident.
Mainframe Shield can complement the work of established technical communities by maintaining a particular focus on cybersecurity.
Recognising the Security Stream Contributors
One of the responsibilities of chairing a technical stream is recognising the professionals who contribute their time, knowledge and experience.
The Security Working Group programme included presentations from professionals representing IBM, Vertali, Rocket Software, Broadcom, NVISO, Barclays, Virtel, Neuro Training, Phoenix Software International and Geniez AI. Their contributions covered a broad range of modern mainframe cybersecurity subjects.
I also want to acknowledge related security work taking place in other conference streams.
Henri Kuiper’s Continuous Compliance: Security Automation with MFPandas, in the Mainframe Audit stream, explored the use of Python and pandas for RACF security analysis and compliance automation.
James Boorman from Reversec contributed From Audit to Adversary: A Strategic Approach to Mainframe Security Testing, while Anthony DiStauro from BMC presented Building Trust in AI: Governance, Guardrails, and Responsible Adoption for the Mainframe.
These are complementary subjects that reinforce the need to connect security engineering, audit, governance and operational practices.
The objective of the Security Stream is not simply to discuss individual products or technologies. It is to improve the way we protect the systems that organisations depend upon.
My appreciation goes to every speaker, the working group members and everyone who helped develop and support the programme.
The mainframe can provide exceptional security capabilities, but maintaining a secure environment requires continuous attention, technical understanding and a willingness to challenge our own assumptions.
Security is not something we achieve once and then forget. It is an ongoing responsibility.
Modernisation: Evolution Rather Than Replacement
Beyond security, Forge26 offered extensive coverage of IBM Z, Db2, CICS, z/VM, LinuxONE, automation, performance, observability and application development.
The Open Mainframe Project contributed sessions on Zowe, open-source tooling, observability and modern development practices.
Speakers such as Misty Decker, Elliot Jalley, Joe Winchester and Steve Warren highlighted different aspects of open-source collaboration and mainframe evolution.
BMC, IBM, Broadcom, Rocket Software, Vanguard, and other technology providers also contributed perspectives on improving operations, development and integration.
These subjects reinforce something I have argued for years.
Mainframe modernisation does not necessarily mean replacing the mainframe. It can mean improving application development, integrating established services with modern architectures, automating operations, strengthening security or making existing business capabilities more accessible.
Organisations have invested decades in developing reliable applications and accumulating valuable business logic. Replacing those systems simply because they are old is not a strategy. It is an expensive way of discovering why they were built that way in the first place.
Of course, not every application should remain unchanged indefinitely. Technical debt is real. Skills availability matters. Costs matter. And some applications may no longer meet business requirements. Sometimes replacement is appropriate. Sometimes integration is the better option. And sometimes improving what already exists is the most sensible decision.
The difficult part is knowing the difference.
The Skills Challenge: Technology Is Only Half the Story
One of the most important conversations at Forge26 was not about AI, hardware, software or even security. It was about people. More specifically, the next generation of mainframe professionals.
For years, our industry has discussed the skills gap, the retirement of experienced specialists and the need to attract new talent. These concerns are legitimate, but discussing them repeatedly will not solve them. We need to introduce more people to the technology, provide practical learning opportunities, support their professional development and make it easier for them to see a future in the industry.
Forge26 provided an encouraging example of how this can be done.
Thirty Scholarships and an Investment in the Future
Through its WAVEZ Student Scholarship programme, GS-UK offered 30 fully funded scholarships for students and recent graduates to participate in Forge26.
The scholarships included a four-day conference pass, three nights of accommodation at a nearby hotel, shuttle transport between the hotel and conference venue, meals and access to the technical programme.
Travel expenses were not included, but the initiative nevertheless removed several significant financial barriers that might otherwise have prevented aspiring professionals from participating.
But the importance of the initiative extends beyond the number. Consider what attending a conference like Forge26 can mean to somebody who is just beginning their professional journey. They have the opportunity to meet experienced systems programmers, security specialists, architects, developers and technology leaders.
They can attend technical presentations, participate in practical exercises, ask questions, discover different career paths and establish relationships with people who may become future colleagues, mentors or employers.
For many, this could be their first meaningful introduction to the mainframe community. And first impressions matter.
The mainframe is sometimes presented as an ageing technology, surrounded by ageing professionals, maintaining ageing applications. Those of us working in the industry know that this is an incomplete and often misleading picture. But students cannot be expected to discover that reality unless we give them the opportunity.
WAVEZ: Learning by Doing
The WAVEZ programme provided learning opportunities designed specifically for students and early-career professionals.
The conference timetable included WAVEZ 101 and WAVEZ 102 learning streams, alongside practical activities such as a bring-your-own-device Capture the Flag exercise. This is particularly valuable.
Reading about RACF, z/OS, CICS, Db2 or mainframe security is one thing. Actually working with the technology is something entirely different.
Practical experience helps students understand how different components interact and gives them confidence to explore subjects that may initially appear intimidating. It also demonstrates that the mainframe is not some mysterious black box accessible only to a select group of specialists who have been working with it since the 1980s. Although, admittedly, some of us occasionally make it sound that way.
Why Students Matter to the Future of the Mainframe
The relevance of students to the future of the mainframe cannot be overstated. Enterprise mainframes continue to support critical services across banking, insurance, government, transportation and many other industries. Maintaining these environments requires expertise that cannot simply be replaced by purchasing new software or introducing AI.
Experienced professionals possess decades of accumulated technical and operational knowledge. Much of that knowledge is documented, but some exists only through experience, troubleshooting and an understanding of how systems behave under real production conditions.
As experienced specialists retire or move into different roles, organisations must ensure that this knowledge is transferred.
However, the objective should not be to create exact copies of the previous generation. We need people who understand established technologies while bringing new skills and perspectives.
Today’s students are learning about cloud computing, cybersecurity, Python, automation, data science and Artificial Intelligence. These skills are not incompatible with the mainframe. Quite the opposite. They can help organisations integrate existing systems with modern technologies, improve operational efficiency, strengthen security and develop new applications and services.
The next generation of mainframe professionals may approach problems differently. That should be welcomed rather than resisted. The industry needs continuity, but it also needs innovation.
From Conference Attendance to Career Opportunities
Idris Aweda Zubair from Mainframe Open Education presented Mainframe as a Democracy: Why Everyone Has a Role in Closing the Skills Gap. The title captures an important point. Developing future talent is not solely the responsibility of universities, training providers or technology vendors.
It is a shared responsibility. Employers need to provide entry-level opportunities and meaningful career development. Experienced professionals need to mentor, teach and share their knowledge. Educational institutions need access to relevant technology, training materials and industry relationships. Professional communities need to create environments where newcomers feel welcome and comfortable asking questions.
And students need opportunities to move beyond introductory training into practical experience.
Initiatives such as WAVEZ, IBM Z Xplore, Mainframe Open Education and other educational programmes can help create that foundation.
But the real measure of success will be what happens afterwards. How many students continue learning? How many find employment in the industry? How many become active contributors to technical communities? And how many return to future conferences, not as students, but as experienced professionals sharing their own knowledge?
Those are the outcomes that will matter over the coming years.
The future of the mainframe will not be secured simply by developing better technology. It will also depend on developing the people who understand how to use, protect and improve it.
Thirty scholarships may appear modest when compared with the scale of the global mainframe industry but every experienced professional started somewhere. And sometimes all it takes is one opportunity to change the direction of somebody’s career.
Beyond the Conference: Mainframe Society and the Value of Community
One of the things Forge26 reminds me of is the importance of community.
Technology evolves, products change and new challenges emerge. But the need for professionals to connect, exchange knowledge and learn from one another remains constant.
This is one of the reasons why we created Mainframe Society.
As a Co-Founder of Mainframe Society, I believe the mainframe ecosystem benefits when professionals have more opportunities to engage with one another, regardless of their employer, experience, geographical location or preferred technology.
Mainframe Society was established to bring the global mainframe community together, supporting networking, education, knowledge sharing, professional development and collaboration. Its purpose is not to replace established user groups or conferences. Quite the opposite.
Organisations such as GS-UK, GSE, SHARE and other user groups have made essential contributions to the mainframe community over many years. Mainframe Society can complement those efforts by helping professionals remain connected and continue sharing knowledge throughout the year.
This is particularly relevant for students and early-career professionals. A conference can introduce somebody to the industry, but continued engagement is what helps transform initial interest into lasting professional development. Access to experienced professionals, technical discussions, educational resources and opportunities to participate in the community can make an enormous difference.
Speaking of community, there is also a small milestone worth mentioning. On 29 October, Mainframe Society reached 13,000 followers on LinkedIn. Just one week later, as this conference comes to an end on 5 November, we have already reached 13,100! Another 100 people joining the community in seven days. Not bad for a technology whose demise has been predicted for decades! More importantly, it reflects the continued interest and enthusiasm surrounding the mainframe, something that has also been clearly visible throughout this conference.
Mainframe Shield provides another example of a community-driven initiative, with a particular emphasis on cybersecurity.
These organisations and initiatives have different origins and activities, but they share an important principle: our industry becomes stronger when professionals are willing to collaborate.
A conference may last four days, but the challenges facing our industry certainly do not. And neither should the conversations.
The Conversations That Never Appear on the Agenda
For all the technical content, some of the most valuable conference experiences rarely appear in the programme. The conversations.
Discussions over coffee, exchanges in the exhibition area, questions following presentations and opportunities to reconnect with colleagues.
Sometimes the most useful insight comes from a technical presentation. Sometimes it comes from a five-minute conversation with somebody who has already encountered the same problem. And sometimes it comes from discovering that the person you’ve been exchanging emails with for years looks nothing like you imagined.
This is also where the participation of students becomes particularly important. There is something encouraging about seeing experienced professionals exchanging ideas with people who are only beginning to discover the platform.
The questions asked by newcomers can be surprisingly valuable.
Sometimes they expose assumptions that experienced professionals no longer question. Sometimes they encourage us to explain concepts that have become second nature. And occasionally, they remind us that there may be a simpler way of doing something.
The mainframe ecosystem includes professionals with decades of experience, people arriving from distributed environments, students beginning their careers and specialists introducing new technologies. Each brings something valuable.
Experienced professionals provide historical context and practical knowledge. Newcomers challenge established assumptions and introduce different ways of thinking.
Neither group has a monopoly on good ideas and when those perspectives come together, everyone benefits.
A Word of Appreciation
Events of this scale do not happen by accident. Behind the conference programme, exhibition, logistics and seemingly endless scheduling challenges is a considerable amount of work by organisers, volunteers, working group committees, speakers and supporting organisations.
Much of that work takes place long before the first delegate arrives.
The technology vendors, exhibitors and sponsors also deserve recognition for supporting technical education and professional collaboration.
And a special thank you must go to the speakers. Preparing and delivering a technical presentation requires time, effort and a willingness to share experience. Doing so in front of a room full of mainframe specialists, some of whom have probably forgotten more about the subject than most people will ever learn, takes a certain amount of courage. Particularly when somebody in the audience begins a question with, “Actually…”.
I also want to recognise everyone involved in supporting the WAVEZ programme and the student scholarships. Creating opportunities for students to attend a conference of this scale requires commitment, organisation and financial support. It is an investment that deserves recognition.
And to the students and early-career professionals who participated: I hope the experience has encouraged you to continue exploring the mainframe. Our industry needs your curiosity, enthusiasm and willingness to challenge established thinking.
To everyone who contributed to Forge26, thank you. Your contribution goes well beyond these four days.
A Special Thank You to the Participating Organisations
A conference like GS | Forge26 would not be possible without the involvement, commitment and support of the many organisations that contribute to the mainframe community.
I would like to extend my appreciation to all the organisations that participated in this year’s conference (in alphabetical order):
21CS, Accenture, Action Software, Arrow, Barclays, Beta Systems Software, BMC Software, Broadcom Mainframe Software, Compute Bridgend, DataKinetics, Fitz Software, Geniez AI, IBM, Interchip AG, Interskill Learning, Interskill Learning, Kyndryl, Mainframe Open Education, Mooody Cow, Neuro Training, NVISO, Open Mainframe Project, Phoenix Software International, Planet Mainframe, PopUp Mainframe, Reversec, Rocket Software, SVA System Vertrieb Alexander, TES Enterprise Solutions, Trident Services, Triton Consulting, TSG, Vanguard Integrity Professionals, Velocity Software, Vertali, Virtel and zDevOps.
Your continued involvement, willingness to share knowledge and commitment to the industry are essential to the success of events such as Forge26.
Beyond the technology, products and services, it is this spirit of collaboration that makes the mainframe community special.
Thank you for helping make GS | Forge26 a valuable experience and for contributing to the future of the mainframe.
What Do We Take Away From Forge26?
Looking at the programme and the wider conversations taking place across the mainframe community, six messages stand out.
First, the mainframe remains relevant. Not simply because organisations depend on it, but because the platform and its ecosystem continue to evolve.
Second, AI presents genuine opportunities and responsibilities. Its value will depend on practical applications, governance and measurable outcomes rather than impressive demonstrations alone.
Third, cybersecurity and resilience must remain fundamental priorities. Modernisation and connectivity introduce opportunities, but also risks that must be understood and managed.
Fourth, modernisation is about making informed decisions rather than following technological fashion. Preserve what delivers value, improve what needs improvement and replace what no longer meets business requirements.
Fifth, developing future talent is not optional. The WAVEZ programme and its 30 scholarship opportunities demonstrate the importance of giving students access to technology, expertise and professional networks. The long-term future of the mainframe depends on attracting, developing and retaining new generations of skilled professionals.
Finally, community matters. Skills development, mentoring, collaboration and knowledge sharing will be just as important to the future of the mainframe as the next generation of hardware and software.
This is where communities such as GS-UK, Mainframe Society and Mainframe Shield can make a real difference.
Until the Next One
As Forge26 draws to a close, I believe there is good reason to be optimistic about the future of the mainframe.
Not because every emerging technology will deliver on its promises or because the industry has suddenly solved all its longstanding challenges. It hasn’t. But because there remains a strong community of professionals willing to question, learn, innovate and contribute.
And because initiatives such as WAVEZ are helping introduce a new generation to an industry that continues to play a critical role in enterprise computing.
The mainframe has survived numerous technological revolutions, predictions of extinction and more PowerPoint presentations about its replacement than anyone should reasonably have to endure.
And yet, here we are. Still developing. Still modernising. Still securing. Still learning. And, apparently, now teaching AI a thing or two.
The future of the mainframe will not be determined by technology alone. It will be shaped by the people who understand it, challenge it, improve it and ensure that the next generation is ready to take it forward.
To everyone who contributed to GS | Forge26, whether as an organiser, volunteer, speaker, sponsor, exhibitor, delegate or student, thank you.
The conference may last four days, but the relationships, knowledge and ideas exchanged can have an impact far beyond Whittlebury Hall.
And perhaps, somewhere among the students discovering the mainframe this week, there is a future systems programmer, security architect, technology leader or conference speaker who will help shape the next chapter of our industry.
That, to me, is one of the most encouraging outcomes we could hope for. The technology matters. The knowledge matters. But the people, including those just beginning their journey, are what make this community special.
See you at the next one.
Rui Miguel Feio
Presenter Recognition
The following directory recognises the presenters discussed in this article. Names are linked to individual LinkedIn profiles where a matching public profile was previously identified.
Security Working Group
| Presenter | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Niall Ashley | Vertali |
| Ray Overby | Rocket Software |
| John Crossno | Phoenix Software International |
| Kev Milne | Neuro Training |
| Mark Nelson | IBM |
| Pradeep Parameshwaran | IBM |
| Claire Connor | Geniez AI |
| Michael Jordan | Broadcom |
| Jonathan Prince | NVISO |
| Colman O’Carroll | Virtel |
| Matthew Rigby | Barclays |
| Jason Fournier | Broadcom |
| Mark Wilson | Vertali |
| John Pinkowski | Broadcom |
| Jessica Doherty | Broadcom |
| May Ann Furno | Broadcom |
| Milan Patel | Broadcom |
| Emre Tunar | Broadcom |
Selected Contributors from Other Streams
| Presenter | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Anthony Anter | BMC Software |
| Alan Warhurst | BMC Software |
| Marcus Davage | BMC Software |
| Prema Jogdand | BMC Software |
| Anthony DiStauro | BMC Software |
| Henri Kuiper | zDevOps |
| James Boorman | Reversec |
| Elliot Jalley | Broadcom |
| Joe Winchester | IBM |
| Misty Decker | Accenture |
| Steve Warren | IBM |
| Idris Aweda Zubair | Mainframe Open Education |
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