“Welcome to COMMON Belgium, the premier IBM Power Systems
(IBM i / AIX / Linux) national user community,
dedicated to harnessing the potential of IBM-based solutions
to advance our members’ businesses, skills and networking”

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Upcoming events -

Common Belgium General Assembly,
Latest IBM announcements, Quantum Safe

LIVE WEBINAR
Wednesday 21 May 14:00 – 15:45 CEST
(12 noon – 14:45 GMT)

REGISTER HERE

14:00 – 14:15 – An on-line General Assembly open to all with voting for paid members paid members, to asses 2024 and perspectives of 2025. Please give your volunteer time to improve even more by joining the Board.

14:15 – 15:00 Latest Announcements – IBM i 7.6 and IBM i 7.5 TR6 – Fabian Michel, IBM Belgium –

IBM announced IBM i 7.6 in April, the first new version of the operating system in three years. While it brings a range of enhancements, arguably the biggest new feature is the addition of multi-factor authentication directly into the operating system, making it easy to adopt MFA and providing a “massive security improvement” at no additional cost to IBM i shops.

REGISTER HERE

Fabian Michel – Fabian is an Expert Level Certified Consulting IT Specialist. He is acting as a Client Technical Architect for IBM Systems in Belgium. He holds a master degree in sciences of industrial engineering in electronics. His areas of expertise cover infrastructure solutions design, performance, virtualization, storage, and high availability. He has over 22 years of experience in the computing fields of Power Systems, IBM i, Linux, Open-Source solutions, and storage.
Fabian wrote the very first paper about Flash Systems & IBM i and he also developed the FLiP tool to predict Flash Storage impact on IBM i workloads. Both of them earned him worldwide recognition. Often sought by clients as a recognized Technology and Performance advisor, he is also a frequent speaker at customer events.

15:00 – 15:15 – Announcements Q & A

15:15 – 15:45 – Quantum Safe – Wim Peeters, IBM Quantum Associate Ambassador, NCEE Ecosystem Technical Leader, IBM Belgium –

In recent years, Quantum Computing has well advanced, with IBM being a leader in Quantum Computing Technology and bringing Computing Quantum to the market with easy access offerings.
With the advancements of Quantum Computing, in the future Quantum Era the Power of Quantum Computing will be able to break current encryption technologies.
IBM’s Quantum Safe helps clients with strategy, technology, and services to transform towards a Quantum Safe environment.

Wim Peeters – Now Ecosystem Technical Sales leader for IBM Northern, Central and Eastern Europe (NCEE), Wim is a developer at heart with a passion for new technologies, such as Quantum. While his career initially revolved around Business and Process Automation, Software Integration, and Application Modernization, Wim has progressively broadened his expertise across the entire IBM technology spectrum and become one of IBM’s Quantum Ambassadors. Prior to his current role Wim has held leadership roles across BeNeLux since 2016. First in Automation, later cross IBM Technology.

REGISTER NOW – Let us embark on this journey together towards education excellence and career boosting!

Common Europe Congress 2025
2-5 June, Gothenburg, Sweden

The largest IBM Power IBM i congress in Europe
for solutions around IBM Power (IBM i, AIX, Linux) and IBM Storage, 02-05 June 2025. It features top IBM and industry speakers sharing their latest knowledge through essential Workshops, Deep Dives, and Education Sessions

REGISTER HERE

Dear Common Belgium Members – This is your biggest membership advantage – the once a year exceptional opportunity combining career boosting, savings and high-level networking.
Contact Common Belgium to obtain 25% discount by mentioning your discount code. 

  1. Book your accommodation at negotiated rates here
  2. See impressive agenda: https://cfp.common.be/benelux2024/schedule/
  3. See full event details: https://comeur.org/common-europe-congress-2025/
  4. Forward this message to all your colleagues; attending 5 or more, contact office@comeur.org to obtain even more discount.   

Thanks. Looking forward to welcoming you in Gothenburg in this exceptional learning and career boosting opportunity.

Warm regards,
Common Belgium Team

More upcoming events –

– 16 June – Webinar (tentative – more details coming soon)

– 22 September – In-person security day

– 17-18 November – Benelux Power – Workshops, Conference and Exp 

 

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What is COMMON Belgium

At COMMON Belgium, our focus extends beyond borders. COMMON Belgium proudly contributes to the thriving Common Europe community, where like-minded professionals from across the continent converge annually to explore emerging trends, engage with IBM experts, and forge lasting connections. Furthermore, we actively foster collaboration with our European sister user groups, aligning our efforts to create a seamless, transcontinental exchange of insights and expertise. Through these invaluable partnerships, we leverage collective knowledge to shape the future of IBM solutions on a global scale. 
Join us to be part of our adventure

By joining COMMON Belgium, you become part of an inspiring journey – one that embraces innovation, fosters collaboration, and empowers you to shape the future of technology. Explore our initiatives, events, and membership benefits at www.common.be, and take your place at the forefront of IBM i driven transformation. Together, we propel a global community united by shared knowledge, collective vision, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
Join us to be part of our adventure

 

Welcome to COMMON Belgium, the premier national user community dedicated to harnessing the potential of IBM based solutions. Our mission is rooted in cultivating a vibrant ecosystem that revolves around networking, knowledge exchange, advanced education, and strategic influence within the realm of IBM i products and solutions. As a non-profit organization, COMMON Belgium unites a diverse community of clients, solution providers, academic institutions and IBMers, all driven by a shared passion for leveraging IBM i technologies to drive innovation and growth.
Join us to be part of our adventure

 

Our commitment to collaboration extends across the Atlantic as well. As an active participant in COMMON North America, we ensure that our members are seamlessly integrated into an expansive network that transcends geographical boundaries. This partnership opens doors to a wealth of resources, thought leadership, and industry best practices, enriching the experiences and opportunities available to every COMMON Belgium member.
Join us to be part of our adventure

 

 

Testimonials

  • “

    “At ASCO we value our membership of Common Belgium as it provides us a means to stay up to date with IBM i developments and enhancements. Their regular theme based sessions are a means to stay up to date in the ever-changing IBM i and IT landscape. In addition, it provides us contact with other users who tackle problems we face as well and, through other insight or viewpoints, have sometimes handed better solutions than we could (not) have found.“

    Kris De Vlieger
    IT business relationship & development manager, ASCO Industries, Zaventem, Belgium
  • “

    “Through participation in Common Belgium activities, Howest University students gain access to a wealth of IBM i knowledge and expertise from IBM Business Architects and industry leaders. The presentations, workshops, and seminars offer them insights into the latest trends and technologies within the IBM i ecosystem. This exposure, and networking with business professionals, not only enhances their technical skills but also equips them with a deep understanding of real-world business applications, infrastructure and security.”

    Corneel Theben Tervile
    International Coordinator of Applied Computer Science, HOWEST University of Applied Sciences, Bruges, Belgium
  • “

    “Common Belgium’s education helps Colruyt Group to offer cutting edge IT solutions to our business. Their insightful sessions and workshops empower us with new technologies, enhancing operations. Moreover, the networking advantage of being a member allows us to connect with industry peers and leaders, amplifying our IBM i solutions leverage for ongoing success.”

    Peter Boesman
    Application Manager for Solucious (part of Colruyt Group) Belgium
  • “

    “Being a member of Common Belgium has been a game-changer for our company. The current education they provide keeps our IT applications sharp, while the networking opportunities have connected us with industry peers and opportunities. Thanks to Common Belgium, we’re confidently steering our business through the ever-changing IT landscape.”

    X
    IT Manager, An International 100 Years Young Company, Belgium

Latest pictures from our events

Benelux Power 2024

40th Anniversary Common Belgium

Benelux Power 2023

SQL Workshops September 2023

Benelux Power 2022 and Common Europe NextGen 1st Party