OzTUG put on a maximum charm effort. I was present for the events held in two cities, including managers from the Singapore office and representation from the HPE head office. Together with members of the local HPE NonStop team, there was plenty of opportunity for the community to have quiet sidebar conversations, and the opportunities were exploited to the maximum.
The event took place in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and allowed for a travel day between venues, for which most of us were thankful for the hospitality of the organization as they hosted an evening dinner for the participating NonStop vendors. As someone who is Sydney-born and Sydney-raised, the steakhouse was unfamiliar to me, but then again, if you skip Sydney for any reason and put off visiting the town for any extended period of time, then you might be overwhelmed by the number and variety of bars and restaurants that you really must visit. All I can add is that the venue selected by the organizers, Steersons Steakhouse, is now on my must-visit whenever I am next in town.
From the US, present for the Sydney event was Casey Taylor, the newly appointed VP and GM for the HPE NonStop. Coming to the position after industry standouts like Jeff Kyle and before him Ric Lewis, not forgetting Randy Meyer and, yes, Martin Fink, Casey has some big shoes to fill. From what we saw, it looks as though it will not be of concern to the NonStop community as she delivered an excellent presentation that looked ahead to what we can expect under her leadership.
Making the trip down under was Mark Pollans, NonStop Worldwide Product Management, who spent time delivering substantial updates on the NonStop product roadmap. For many in the audience, this was a welcome addition to the program, and even as bloggers and commentators were asked politely not to take photos or even make notes, there was enough substance to whet the appetite of those present to where the upcoming NonStop TBC 2024 Conference became a must-attend event. It’s never easy to talk about the future, even where caveats were liberally tossed around, but enough pointers were provided that were encouraging for NonStop customers and vendors alike.
Shanice Abigail, NonStop Region Pre-Sales, came down from Singapore, and representing the HPE GreenLake team was Isaac Deeb, whom many of us have seen at conferences here in the US. I cannot forget to mention Nelson Wong and Rod Cortez from the local NonStop team seemed to be constantly engaged with both sides of the NonStop community at large, and yes, Feng Lin of XYPRO, who represented the OzTUG committee, was also fully engaged with the NonStop community as well. Forgive me if I have missed referencing you in this list, but so many made contributions that it was hard to keep up.
As for NonStop customer turnout, there were many familiar faces. NonStop continues to enjoy a major presence in financial institutions, and the representatives of these companies were visible and, at times, actively engaged in discussions with those providing presentations. This was good to see, as, from my perspective, it’s just one more test that validates the ongoing interest in the future of NonStop. Celebrating fifty years, as we were reminded – a Golden Anniversary for NonStop – should be viewed as a beginning as it is the next fifty years that will hold considerable interest for the NonStop community at large. Resilience? Cyber-Security? AI? Hybrid IT? It could be all catalysts for some upcoming exciting announcements from the NonStop team.
When it came to Melbourne’s turn, the organizers, too, put their own positive spin on all things NonStop, attracting quite a number of participants from major NonStop customers. While the overall numbers were less than those attending the Sydney event, there was clearly quality in the audience for each vendor session. I would like to add my own thanks to my sponsor, which once again was NTI, as they ensured that I could provide my own insight into the industry and NonStop without missing any opportunity to promote the NTI product suite.
Following the day’s full agenda, once again, the organizers provided an evening for the NonStop vendors, but unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to already agreed-upon commitments. And that is a testament, too, as to why so many internationals made it to OzTUG this year, as it opened up so many opportunities to talk about and, yes, to promote all things related to NonStop. It was a week that will take some time to fully recover, but from my perspective, I will be looking out for further updates from the OzTUG organization about the timing of a similar event in 2025. I know I still consider myself an Aussie in many aspects, but I cannot discount the overall value that regional user events provide wherever they are held!
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