Stream: Suzuka
Time: 12:15 - 13:00
In 1966, NASA needed to track over one million parts to put a human on the moon. The database they built for that mission did not just help land Apollo 11. It is still running today, inside some of the world's biggest banks, hospitals and airlines. That database is IMS. And most people have never heard of it. This session is your introduction. No prior mainframe experience needed. We will cover what IMS is, how it stores and organizes data, and why a technology built for a moon mission is still the backbone of global enterprise computing in 2026. We will also share a personal story of stumbling into the mainframe world as an interface developer and ending up leading an IMS product team, with honest lessons on what that journey looked like and why this world needs fresh talent more than ever. If you are curious about where the big, important systems live and who builds them, this session is your launchpad. Key Takeaways: -What IMS is and how it stores data at enterprise scale -Why IMS still powers critical global infrastructure today -What a real career journey into the mainframe world looks like
There is currently no attachment for The Database That Went to the Moon
Gaurav Tikekar is a Product Development Manager at BMC Software with 14 years of experience in the software industry. He leads the IMS product portfolio for Backup and Recovery and Fast Path Utilities. A technologist by experience and a designer by passion, Gaurav is obsessed with making powerful systems intuitive and beautiful. He is actively bringing AI into the mainframe world, building intelligent tools that help DBAs work faster and smarter. His guiding belief: powerful technology should also be a pleasure to use. Before mainframe, Gaurav spent years designing interfaces across web, mobile, wearables, and AR/VR. When he first encountered the mainframe, he was struck by a simple question: why does technology that runs the world still feel like it belongs to a different era? That question never left him. Today he channels everything he has learned about great design, modern interfaces, and intelligent systems into making the mainframe experience better for the people who depend on it every day.