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Alan joined IBM Ireland in 1985, having completed a degree in Engineering. His first position was as a trainee VM systems programmer, supporting IBM Ireland’s internal systems. After a couple of years he ‘graduated’ to MVS where he was one of the team (along with Frank!) supporting IBM’s development laboratory in Ireland. Being a small group, Alan worked on MVS as well as DB2 and CICS, and also did a good amount of SNA and later TCP/IP networking.

Alan was one of the first techies in the fledgling Global Services group in Ireland in the early 90s. During his time in Global Services, he expanded his horizons to work with distributed systems, storage, and networking. This time was key to Alan developing quite a diverse set of technical skills. In addition to MVS and VM, Alan also delved into UNIX and Windows, giving him a unique perspective.

Alan also took part in a number of ITSO projects, working on a number of Parallel Sysplex Redbooks, including a very interesting one on comparing database clustering technologies across mainframe and distributed platforms. Working with the ITSO gave Alan a great opportunity to work with the z/OS Development organization and the wonderful international crew that made up the technical team leads in the ITSO.

In early 2012 Alan moved to a global IBM team that provided z Systems technical strategy and architectural oversight for IBM’s GTS (outsourcing) division worldwide. This role consisted of the technical review and approval of large strategic outsourcing bids involving z Systems, including understanding the commercial considerations of z Systems pricing in those bids. He also performed technical health checks for IBM’s clients’ z/OS systems worldwide and provided support during major incidents. During his last year at IBM, he was involved with developing the zLinux element of IBM’s zCloud offering.

Despite his many roles in IBM, and experience with different platforms, Alan’s heart always lay with the mainframe. He wanted to get back to working directly with customers and participating in interesting projects with customers around the world. He also wanted a more flexible working environment and the opportunity to work closely with a small group of like-minded people, so in August 2015 he left IBM Ireland and established his own small consulting firm. In addition to his own consulting engagements, Alan develops articles for Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter and works with Cheryl and Frank on teaching classes and consulting, particularly in the area of marrying the technical and commercial considerations around mainframe outsourcing.