Meet Alan S. Bluck, the Director of ASB Software Development Limited. He’s been an IBM Champion since 2022 and represents how sharing knowledge with others can create a lasting impact in the tech community.
Alan has a long list of achievements. Among them, he is particularly proud of the work he has done in designing and developing a GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) add-on system for a large corporate IBM Case Manager system, which included integration to other database systems using Java and Stored Procedures. On a tight schedule, he was able to successfully complete the project. His favorite IBM product also happens to be IBM Case Manager. He appreciates how the integration with the IBM FileNet Document Management System is highly configurable, so it can be applied to a wide range of Business Requirements.
Recently, he attended online meetings focused on some of IBM’s AI systems. He enjoyed the talk focused on IBM Granite, as he has been commissioned by OrangeAVE Publishing to write a technical book on IBM Granite 3.0. It will be his eighth book on IBM systems, so be sure to keep a look out for it!
Alan’s commitment to producing quality documentation has not only made complex IBM technologies accessible, but also helped pave the way for his IBM Champion status. After retiring from IBM as a solutions architect, he found that he missed the technical challenges and development of new systems, so he set up his company and worked as a contracted consultant for IBM on several systems. When the pandemic hit, he was no longer able to perform this work, as on-site development was restricted. However, BPB Publications approached him and asked him to write a series of four books on IBM installation and configuration, having seen some of his documents on ResearchGate. Using his ResearchGate, account, Alan provides access to free downloadable documents that describe a wide range of IBM and RedHat software installation and configurations. There are 40 documents available so far, with almost 50,000 downloads across them! Following the publication of his books on IBM Cognos Analytics and Installation and Configuration of IBM Watson Analytics and StoredIQ, he was encouraged by an IBM Champion to apply for the program during the 2021 nomination season.
To those interested in becoming an IBM Champion, he offers this advice: “I would encourage them to document their achievements and maintain communication with the IBM community, to provide the necessary background for their application as an IBM Champion.”