In this session at IBM TechCon 2024, experts David Ware (CTO, IBM MQ and Event Automation) and Matthew Sunley (Program Director of Event Automation) revealed solutions to turn information into action in real-time. David Ware kicked things off by highlighting IBM MQ's far-reaching impact. From booking flights to safeguarding medical records, MQ's asynchronous communication provides a reliable backbone for complex operations across industries. David emphasized the need to maximize the value of this foundational system, setting the stage for Matthew to discuss event-driven strategies.
Matthew stressed the importance of harnessing events – representing everything from transactions to customer behavior – for real-time insights and responsiveness. He outlined the benefits of an event-driven approach: continuous awareness of operations, automated actions based on specific events, and fast adaptation to changing conditions. Comparing common practices to a potential future, he illustrated the immense impact of event-driven architecture. However, Matthew noted challenges such as scattered events, difficulty identifying meaningful patterns, and skill shortages. To address this, IBM developed IBM Event Automation.
Designed to put event-driven power into more hands, IBM Event Automation simplifies the process with a focus on usability. It offers a reliable Kafka-based backbone for events, a central catalog for easy discovery and secure access, and low-code tools for defining scenarios and automating responses. This empowers business analysts and reduces reliance on developers. In line with a focus on innovation, IBM frequently updates Event Automation, incorporating user feedback. Recent additions include database connections for richer insights and increased deployment flexibility.
David also discussed continuous enhancements to IBM MQ, with an upcoming Long-Term Support (LTS) version set to consolidate proven features. Highlights include easier message expiry controls and streamlined high availability on Kubernetes. David underlined MQ's core role as a messaging foundation in conjunction with new possibilities that event-driven approaches unlock.
Key trends emerged from the presentation: MQ's continued importance, the growing demand for real-time responsiveness, and the drive to democratize event access for greater agility.
This recap provides just a taste of the session. For a deeper dive, watch the full IBM TechCon 2024 recording by logging into the TechCon Website.
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