I retired from IBM in 2013 as a Distinguished Engineer. I created my own consulting firm, James Porell Consulting, LLC, for the purpose of sharing my experiences in computing and IT architecture, strategy, design and implementation. I’m not “just a mainframe” person.
I have un-retired and joined Rocket Software for the purpose of driving installs of their system software, particularly, Omegamon, IMS Tools and security offerings. I'll continue to focus on the value of a hybrid deployment model and the role of these products that way.
Along the way, I learned the value and importance of collaborative computing with other systems. I was a member of IBM’s System Application Architecture (SAA) design council, I worked directly with the Open Software Foundation and I led many of the activities that led to the “opening” of the mainframe to become a valuable member of the internet and allow for a greater degree of application portability and interoperability across systems. Most recently, I created a consortium called STASH – Smart Terminal Architecture with Secure Hosts. Net of that was to reduce the risk of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) to enterprise computing and business data.
I had a variety of roles within IBM. Within the Server and Technology Group, I was Chief Architect of mainframe software across IBM and led the Software Design Council for the mainframe for about 10 years. My last three years within the Server Group, I led Business Development activities (i.e. Mergers and Acquisitions) as well as marketing for Security and Application Development associated with the mainframe and collaborating systems. As a hobby, I became very knowledgeable and influential in the security space. I collaborated in authoring several books on security, did forensic work for several large retail and insurance firms, following breaches in their environments and that resulted in becoming a member of the US Secret Service’s Electronic Crime Task Force in Chicago.