15th CA 2E / CA Plex Conference: Full Schedule

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12:00pm PDT

Monday August 31, 2026 12:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Lunch plus sessions from technology leaders from IBM, CM First, A&I Technologies, programmers.ai, and Midrange Dynamics.

Session 1 -Tim Rowe- IBM

Not Legacy — Ahead of Its Time: The Future of IBM i and how IBM Bob is Changing How We Work on It
IBM i was built for what the industry is only now catching up to — and in this session, we’ll prove it. We’ll cover the Power11 roadmap, hybrid cloud integration, IBM i’s industry-leading security and reliability, and the real cost advantages that make it hard to beat. Then we’ll show why IBM i is uniquely AI-ready today, thanks to the depth of SQL Services that make connecting modern tools to your business data straightforward.
In the second half, we get hands-on with Bob and the Premium Package for i — an AI assistant built specifically for IBM i. We’ll show how operators and administrators can use Bob to review audit journals, investigate job logs, monitor system performance, and understand unfamiliar programs — all through natural conversation. No migrations, no rewrites. Just actionable intelligence from the system you already run. Come for the platform vision. Leave with a tool you can use on Monday morning

Session 2- Mike Pavlak- programmers.ai

AI loves fresh data! How to Surface IBM i Data in AI platforms
Discover how InfoConnect platform bridges the gap between IBM i and today’s AI ecosystem. In this session, you’ll learn how real-time Change Data Capture (CDC) streams live DB2 data from IBM i to modern data platforms with little to no coding and without impacting production performance. We’ll demonstrate how to make IBM i data available to AI agents and workflows, enabling intelligent automation, natural language interfaces, and real-time decision-making. Whether you’re beginning your AI journey or expanding existing IBM i capabilities, this class provides practical strategies for integrating trusted enterprise data with the latest AI technologies.

Session 3- John Rhodes- CM First Group

Tokenomics
AI coding agents promise faster modernization — but the bill arrives in tokens, and pure-LLM translations of RPG can compile cleanly while preserving 0% of business behavior.
Through five real code examples, this session unpacks the economics of agentic development for CA 2E and CA Plex shops: deterministic analysis and transformation with CM evolveIT at the core, AI where judgment pays, and no LLM vendor lock-in.

Session 4- Carla Starling- Midrange Dynamics

InfoConnect
Discover how InfoConnect platform bridges the gap between IBM i and today’s AI ecosystem. In this session, you’ll learn how real-time Change Data Capture (CDC) streams live DB2 data from IBM i to modern data platforms with little to no coding and without impacting production performance. We’ll demonstrate how to make IBM i data available to AI agents and workflows, enabling intelligent automation, natural language interfaces, and real-time decision-making. Whether you’re beginning your AI journey or expanding existing IBM i capabilities, this class provides practical strategies for integrating trusted enterprise data with the latest AI technologies.

Session 5-Tim Higgins- A&I Technologies

Speakers

John Rhodes

CTO, CM First Group

A founder of CM First Group in North America, John is a seasoned technology professional focused on enterprise software development. As an architect and project lead for Kraft Foods, John developed and managed large scale IBM i (CA 2E/Synon) and IBM z based business intelligence systems... Read More →

Tim Rowe

STSM - IBM i Business Architect, IBM

Tim Rowe is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his timeworking as the Architect for Application Development and Systems Management. He has been working on the IBM i operating system since 1989. Tim is a frequent author, industry speaker... Read More →

Carla Starling

Midrange Dynamics

Carla is a Professional Services Project Manager for Midrange Dynamics North America with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations manage software changes on the IBM i platform. A dedicated problem solver and experienced project leader, she specializes in implementing... Read More →

Tim Higgins

A&I

Tim Higgins has been a valued member of A&I Solutions for more than a decade, bringing over 30 years of software and IT experience to the team. Driven by a passion for technology, strong coffee, and great music, Tim leverages his extensive technical expertise to support A&I’s wide... Read More →

Mike Pavlak

Programmers.AI

Mike Pavlak has been working with IBM midrange solutions since 1992 and IBM Mainframes before that. After years of developing applications using RPG & CL he managed IT development and IT for power protection manufacturer Tripp Lite. Mike was instrumental in developing the adoption... Read More →

Monday August 31, 2026 12:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Company A&I, CM First group, IBM, Midrange Dynamics, Programmers.AI

3:30pm PDT

Turn Any Synon Application into a REST API and MCP servers

Tuesday September 1, 2026 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

Modernize your Synon (CA 2E) applications without rewriting proven business logic. In this session, you’ll learn how to expose existing Synon programs as secure, scalable REST APIs and MCP servers, that can be consumed by AI agents, web applications, mobile apps, cloud platforms, and third-party systems. We’ll demonstrate how to rapidly create APIs and MCP servers, apply authentication and security, and integrate with modern technologies while preserving your investment in IBM i. Whether you’re building a digital transformation strategy, enabling cloud integration, or supporting AI initiatives, this class will show practical techniques for extending the value of your Synon applications through standards-based REST services.

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Programmers.AI

Tuesday September 1, 2026 3:30pm - 4:20pm PDT

Technology

Company Programmers.AI

15th CA 2E / CA Plex Conference

12:00pm PDT

John Rhodes

Tim Rowe

Carla Starling

Tim Higgins

Mike Pavlak

3:30pm PDT

Mike Pavlak

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