Paul Barktak has been working with IBM Information Management solutions since 1985, including the first version of DB2 on MVS. As an IBM customer for 14 years Paul worked in Application Development, Database Administration, and DBA Management - working with IBM & ISV Labs on various projects. With IBM for 18 years his roles included that of a DB2 Advisor, developing the V8 – V11 Migration Planning Workshops, pureXML and Temporal Proof of Technologies; and a Client Technical Leader, working across a large payments processing company and the IBM account team. Paul holds multiple certifications across Information Management and Cloud domains and recently joined Rocket Software as a Principle Solutions Advisor.
Troy Coleman is currently an IBM DB2 Advisor z/OS and brings a variety of skills focused around DB2 including product management, DB2 systems programmer installing and configuring DB2, application DBA, and application developer. Troy has been active in the DB2 community as a board member for the Chicago Midwest Database User Group (MWDUG) and former board member of IDUG as well as holding the prestigious title of IBM Information Management Champion from 2011-2015. He is an internationally recognized consultant and lecturer specializing in DB2 database administration and application architecture with experience on many leading hardware platforms, including DB2 for z/OS, Windows, AIX, Solaris and Linux. Troy was the architect and lead developer of the first wireless database management software for DB2 UDB, PocketDBA, by Expand Beyond Corp.
Gary Crupi is an IBM Distinguished Engineer that joined IBM in 2001. Building on his prior experience as a Senior Systems Analyst with Northwestern Mutual and the United States Air Force, he helps customers leverage IBM Analytics Solutions across platforms and deployment options. In addition, he encourages z Systems customers to maximize their investments through software currency, modernization, and extension. Throughout his career, Gary has helped customers and IBMers position for success by selecting the right platform for data based on business and technology requirements. Most recently, Gary defined and led the creation of the IBM zAnalytics System 9700 and 9710, which contains an integrated IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator. This solution is the backbone of IBM's Analytics on z Systems initiative. Today, Gary continues leading multiple organizations as a technical leader and customer advisor for hybrid cloud solutions. He helps customers extend their core with emerging analytical capabilities and techniques.
Ulf Heinrich is the Director of Solutions Delivery at SOFTWARE ENGINEERING GmbH. He specializes in DB2 operations and performance tuning, focusing on the growing requirement for cost reduction and 24x7 operations. As a consultant, at large customer sites, he has implemented database maintenance procedures and recovery strategies, and experienced the pitfalls of recovery scenarios under real-world recovery pressure. His activities cover EMEA, as well as North America through SE’s U.S. subsidiary, SEGUS Inc. As a member of SE’s Request Board he’s working closely with customers and the development labs.
