The strong community and culture that have grown up around the IBM i platform in the 30 years since it launched as the AS/400 underscores the success and popularity of this well-known technology. There are dozens of related user groups out there that help people get out of their everyday mindsets with the chance to interact with others who know IBM i—and who may be using it to address similar challenges in a new way. Case in point: Did you know there are more than 26,000 members of LinkedIn’s group for IBM i, iSeries, and AS/400 professionals?

Many users have spent much of their careers working with IBM i. In fact, our recent poll showed that 56 percent of respondents have 30+ years’ experience with the platform, meaning many of you may be looking forward to retiring soon, or will have to decide what to do when your IBM i talent retires! These user groups are critical as a place where newer IBM i professionals can look for information and best practices as they ramp up on the many ways IBM i is an amazing and powerful system. As newcomers come on board, make sure you share your knowledge and set them up for success.

To help you navigate this vast playing field, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of IBM i user groups around the world.
 

COMMON

The largest of the user groups is COMMON, which brings together IBM technology users across scores of local chapters across the globe. COMMON also has a Facebook User Group page with 205 members. Below you’ll find links to individual chapters where available.
 

Canada

Ontario (Toronto) – Toronto Users Group and Facebook
 

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United States

California – Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN)

Connecticut – Fairfield Application System User Group

Georgia – IBM i Tech Community

Illinois – Omni Users Group

Indiana – STATUS

Michigan – Southeast Michigan iSeries Users Group

Minnesota – QUSER

Missouri – Gateway/400 Group

New Hampshire – New Hampshire Midrange Users Group

New York – Midrange Users Group of Western New York and Long Island Systems Users Group (LISUG)

Ohio – TriState Midrange Users Group

Rhode Island – New England Midrange Users Group

Tennessee – IMUG

Texas – Metro Midrange Systems Association

Utah – Utah IBM i Professionals Association (formerly Greater Salt Lake Midrange User Group)

Vermont – Vermont Midrange User Group (VTMUG) and Facebook

Virginia – Mid-Atlantic Group of IBM i Collaborators (MAGIC)

Washington – Pacific Midrange Systems Association

Wisconsin – Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association and Facebook
 

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Europe

There is a COMMON Europe website and Facebook page as well as these individual country pages.

Austria – COMMON Austria and Facebook

Belgium – COMMON Belgium

Czech Republic and Slovenia – COMMON Czech Republic and Slovenia

Denmark – COMMON Denmark

France – COMMON France

Germany – COMMON Deutschland

Italy – Italian Power Association

Luxembourg –  COMMON Luxembourg

The Netherlands – COMMON Netherlands

Norway – COMMON Norway

Poland – COMMON Poland

Sweden – COMMON Sweden (Data 3) and Facebook

Switzerland – COMMON Romandie (French) and COMMON Switzerland (German)

United Kingdom – COMMON Great Britain and Facebook
 

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South America

Argentina (Buenos Aires) – COMMON Argentina

Brazil – COMMON Latino

Peru – COMMON Peru
 

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Asia/Oceania/Pacific

Japan – COMMON Japan (iSUC)

Korea – SISA Korea

Australia – Interaction Australasia
 

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In addition to COMMON, there are many other IBM i user groups and resources to explore:

IDUG DB2 User Group: IDUG is the foremost independent, user-driven community that provides a direct channel to thousands of professional DB2 users across the globe.

imPower Technologies: Jim Buck has an online offering that includes RPG Free/RDi education. The site states its goal as being driven to deliver the highest quality IBM i educational training that transforms corporate culture, nurtures and enhances workforce skills, and delivers maximum ROI for the corporate education budget. This is a good tool for educating new IBM i technologists.

The Large User Group (LUG): LUG counts almost 100 large companies among their members, all of which have made significant investments in their IBM i platforms. These companies are located around the world and span multiple industries.

North East User Group Conference: NEUGC is an annual IBM i event held in New England for IBM i (Power Systems, iSeries, AS/400). It’s designed to bring together IBM user groups from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. They also have a Facebook page.

Young i Professionals: This is an international group of technology professionals that represent all “young” entrants into the job market or “young” users of IBM i, iSeries, System i, and AS/400.

ILE-RPG Developers: This organization provides educational resources and a LinkedIn community dedicated to reinvigorating development using ILE-RPG in IBM's AS/400, iSeries, or IBM i on Power.

System i Developer: SiD is a consortium of experts in RPGIV, SQL, DB2, ILE, RSE/RDi/RDP/WDSc, and PHP offering education, training/services, and conferences, including the RPG & DB2 Summit, in support of RPG and DB2.

IBM i also has a Facebook page.
 

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By State

Georgia: IBM i Tech Community – Formerly known as AMCU, this group serves the IBM technical community of Atlanta.

Indiana: Mid-Range Michiana Users Group – This Mishawaka-based group meets for presentations and round table discussions related to IBM i and other mid-range systems. 

Massachusetts: NEMUG – Based in North Attleboro the New England Mid-Range Users Group is organized as a resource for users of IBM System i, i Series, and AS/400 systems.

Michigan

• Midrange Meetup: This is an open Meetup in Grand Rapids for anyone and everyone connected to IBM Midrange Systems running IBM i (AS/400, iSeries, System i).
• MITEC: The annual IBM Power Systems Technical Education Conference in Livonia continues to provide the Midwest's premier IBM Power Systems educational and networking event. Topics include RPG, PHP, open source, RDi, DB2, Python, SQL, backup and recovery, DB2 security, SMBs, and more.
• WMSUG: This group encompasses users in Western Michigan, presenting timely information to CIOs, directors, managers, analysts, and programmers who utilize the IBM i platform in their business. 

New Jersey: NESTU – This is one of the largest AS/400/iSeries/i5 technical user groups in the country. NESTU members and attendees include 50+ local and international corporations headquartered in the New Jersey and New York area as well as a number of independent consultants.

Utah: Utah IBM i Professionals Association – This group is focused on the IBM midrange hardware and software, including IBM i, AS/400, iSeries and System i. They meet monthly to discuss and learn about tools, tips, and tricks as well as product updates related to the IBM i systems.
 

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Below, you'll find other groups by country:

France: Club Informatique Pays de Loire (Forum) and Le Club Informatique de Bretagne

Italy: Faq400

Russia: AIX Portal and Facebook

United Kingdom: IBM i Southampton on LinkedIn and i-Community

 

Special thanks to COMMON, RPGPGM, and IBM for helping us build this list.