My current skills are related to TXSeries CICS on Open Systems; AIX, Windows NT, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, and Digital Unix. Recent sample applications and client projects have included C, C++, COBOL, PL1, Visual Basic, and Java. I also have more than 30 years of comprehensive technical experience with IBM S/360 through ESA/390 systems and software. I am currently the owner/founder of Rags Int., Inc., a small company providing training and consulting services for TXSeries CICS on Open Systems.
Rags Int., Inc. provides training and consulting services for CICS on Open Systems and is a member of IBM Partner World and IBM Education and Training business partners. Rags has been certified by IBM on CICS for AIX, CICS for NT, CICS for OS/2, AIX Systems Administration, and eCommerce Communication Server (SNA). In addition, Rags is a business partner with Hewlett Packard and Digital Equipment Company, providing CICS services on those platforms. Clients have included American Express, Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber, Cigna Insurance, Provident Life, Graphics Controls, Affinity Inc., Swiss PTT, Barclay Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, IBM UK, IBM Hong Kong, Life of Jamaica, California Dept of Transportation, GTE, and American Healthware.
I have provided technical support for CICS, VSE, and MVS since their introductions. I have authored several CICS performance tools and productivity aids. IBM career positions have included hardware customer engineer, program support representative, systems engineer, development programmer, development manager, national technical support representative, and services consultant.
National technical support for the IBM CICS/6000 introduction programs in the US. Supported 13 Early Support Accounts and approximately 30 internal field sites. Accounts supported include Dun and Bradstreet, Consolidated Freightways, Wausau Insurance, American Freightways, Maxserve, University of Arizona, M&I Data Services, and others. Provided skills transfer classes, technical support, demonstration applications, technical bulletins and systems assurance guides.
Provided support for DB/DC Application Migration and Design Reviews and a major local project at Cullum Corporation.
National support for VSE to MVS migrations for IBM Consulting. Provided local, national and international support for VSE to MVS contracts with IBM Consulting Services. Provided approximately five months of 'direct' project assistance at Ruppman in Peoria, IL through a very successful switchover to MVS on a weekend. Provided additional technical and marketing support locally to Sacor, ACCO, Globe Glass, Exchange National Bank and others. Provided national support including, technical assistance, marketing, planning and education to CATO (NC), AAA (FL), Valmont (NB), Latrobe Steel (PA), Penn Traffic (PA), Bruno's (AL), Fulton County (GA), UDS (AL), American Reinsurance (PA) and many others. Also provided electronic technical support and education to IBM Peru and IBM Taiwan.
National technical support for VSE to MVS migrations. Activities include customer presentations, skills transfer classes, electronic field support (EQUAL), direct customer support, negotiations with product owners, early product validation and GUIDE representative and speaker. Conducted an "early support" field test for MVS-MS and installed/validated each new release. Developed product marketing guides, technical bulletins and many skills transfer presentations. Conducted skills transfer workshops for IBM M&S Systems Engineers and SID Systems Engineers. Conducted skills transfer classes in IBM Germany for VSE development. Negotiated with IBM Poughkeepsie, IBM Germany, SISRO Paris and IBM Japan for product requirements and introduction programs.
Managed 12 programmers and $790k budget department with $7.5 million revenue achievement. Resolved quality problems with CICSPARS product, moving it from less than 50 licenses to over 1300 licenses. Produced, supported and/or marketed fifteen software tools for data processing professional users. Created VSE/JCA (20 KLOC) in less than 12 months with 4 programmers, most of whom had other continuing responsibilities.
Provided technical support, education, product verification, customer reviews and situation management for the following: Intermediate Systems Capacity Planning, CICS Product Support, DOS to VS1 Migrations, 4300 Distributed Data Processing, and Intermediate Systems Critical Situation Support.
Authored CICS Performance Analyzer. This program was installed in over 5000 customer sites. Instrumental in the foundation and early success of DP Productivity Aids. Provided significant contributions to CICS Source Program Editor, CICS Network Activity Simulator and other software tools for CICS/OS and CICS/DOS.
Serviced DOS, VS1 and CICS.
Serviced keypunch, bank proof, unit record and systems through the 360/2050.
| 1 Corporate Outstanding Contribution Award | 2 IBM Means Service Awards |
| 3 IBM Symposium Awards | 11 IBM Suggestion Awards |
| Numerous Regional and Director's Awards | IBM Systems Research Institute |
| IBM Presidents Class | DeAnza Community College |