is president of the
International
Informix Users
Group (IIUG; www.iiug.org/president), CTO
of Kazer Technologies ( www.kazer.com),
an IBM Gold Consultant, member of the
IBM Data Champion Inaugural 2008 class,
and recipient of the 2008 IBM Data
Professional of the Year award.
Broad-spectrum view or
all Informix, all the time
To IOD
or IIUG?
Users often ask me what seems like a simple question: “If I can attend only one conference, should I goto IBM Information
On Demand (IOD) or the IIUG Informix
Conference?” When I hear this question,
I have a two-word reply ready to go:
“It depends.”
First, let me give you my review of
this past October’s IBM IOD confer-
ence in Las Vegas. As usual, IBM put on
a very nice show over four great days at
the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The conference featured two IBM soft-
ware brands: what is now called Business
Analytics and Performance Optimization
as well as Information Management.
Former General Manager of Information
Management Ambuj Goyal told the crowd
that he would be taking over the new
software brand of Business Analytics and
Process Optimization; he also introduced
the new General Manager of Information
Management, Arvind Krishna. We were
all treated to the best of Informix, DB2,
Cognos, Content Management, InfoSphere,
solidDB, and much, much more.
This event is not to be missed if you
want the full effect of the IBM Information
Management as well as Business Analytics
and Performance Optimization brands.
Here, Informix isn’t the main subject, but
you get to hear about it in the context
of all the parts of the IBM Information
Management as well as Business Analytics
and Process Optimization portfolios.
The IIUG Informix
Conference is
dedicated to
and centered
on one thing:
Informix.
and solidDB, but the focus is on how these
solutions can be used with Informix.
This is the third year of the IIUG
conference, and it includes more than 75
dedicated Informix sessions to help you
understand how to make your Informix
database run faster, better, and more reli-ably. You will hear from the “best of the
best,” including both the architects at IBM
who actually create Informix and users just
like you from around the world (the 2009
event was attended by users from more
than 25 different countries in North and
South America, Europe, and Asia).
This year’s event will feature a keynote
from General Manager Arvind Krishna, and
will be attended by IBM vice presidents,
directors, and other key Informix individuals from IBM. This conference is truly
a learning experience, and the primary
focus is all about learning and education.
(OK, the parties are not bad, either—you
will meet users from around the world and
make lifelong Informix friends.)
So which event would make you go
to your boss, bang at the door, and say,
“I must go!”? Well, if you want an event
centered around Informix, the IIUG
conference is your choice. If you are
looking for a wider view of IBM Software
Group products that includes Informix,
IOD is the place for you.
The IIUG conference will take place
in Overland Park (Kansas City), Kansas,
on April 25–28, 2010 (see www.iiug.org/
conf for more details). If you want to join
us in April at the completely renovated
Overland Park Marriott, register before
March 15, 2010, and you’ll pay less than
$500 (price available to all IIUG members,
plus an additional $100 off if you use the
registration code: MAGDISC100). See you
in Overland Park!
