COMMON A Users Group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1960
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
COMMON A Users Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- COMMON A Users Group
- Legal name
- COMMON
- Website
- https://common.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1960
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
COMMON A Users Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG), Hybrid Conferences & Conventions (In-Person + Streamed) (MPAGAOAC)
Keywords
Where COMMON A Users Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
COMMON A Users Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide access to member benefits, content library, community resources, and discounted conference registration. Membership is required for CAAC participation and offers registration discounts of approximately $300 on conference fees.
- Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from in-person conferences (POWERUp, NAViGATE) and virtual events including Super Early Bird, Early Bird, and Regular pricing tiers. Additional revenue from single-day registrations, guest registrations, and group registrations.
- Certifications and Education Programs: Fees associated with professional certifications and specialized training programs offered through the learning platform.
- Vendor Sponsorships and Expo: Revenue from vendor exhibits, sponsorships, and prospectus-based partnerships at major conferences.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | NAViGATE 2025 Super Early Bird (May 27 - July 14) |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | NAViGATE 2025 Early Bird (July 15 - August 25) |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | NAViGATE 2025 Regular Pricing |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | NAViGATE Toronto 2024 Standard Rates |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | NAViGATE Toronto 2024 Early Bird Rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
COMMON A Users Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
COMMON is a non-profit professional association that provides education, training, certification, conferences, and community services exclusively for IBM i (formerly AS/400, iSeries) technology professionals. Its core offerings include annual memberships, major in-person conferences (NAViGATE and POWERUp), intensive Boot Camp training programs (iBegin, ILE RPG, Security, IFS, SQL), a content library of webinars and session recordings, professional certifications, the N2i (New to IBM i) onboarding program, and mentorship.
Product overview
COMMON A Users Group is a membership-based professional association serving the IBM i ecosystem, providing a platform-plus-community structure centered around educational offerings and industry events. The core offerings include Boot Camp Training programs (iBegin, RPG, Security, IFS, SQL), the Content Library with on-demand webinars and session recordings, and the N2i (New to IBM i) program for newcomers. Major conferences include NAViGATE and POWERUp, supplemented by the COMMON Expo showcase. Additional services include professional certifications, publications (Incredible i Show, Eye on the i), mentorship program, and the CAAC advisory council. The organization also supports IBM i Guided Tours and IBM Bob Premium training packages as educational resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- N2i (New to IBM i): Initiative designed to help new IBM i professionals navigate their way through learning and optimizing the platform, providing advocacy, community, and education during their formative years.
- NAViGATE
- POWERUp
- COMMON Education Foundation (CEF)
- COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC)
Products and services
- COMMON Annual Membership Annual subscription granting access to the content library, community resources, member portal, advisory council participation eligibility, and approximately $300 discount on conference fees. Available as individual and corporate memberships for IBM i professionals.
- NAViGATE Conference Annual in-person conference featuring technical education, hands-on labs, and community connections for IBM i professionals. Multiple education tracks cover system administration, development, DevOps, cloud, security, and AI. Scheduled October 26-29, 2025 in Atlanta, GA.
- POWERUp Conference Annual spring conference providing IBM i education, certification testing, and networking opportunities for IT professionals and developers.
- Boot Camp Training Intensive structured training programs covering IBM i essentials including iBegin: IBM i Essentials, IBM i System Administration, Programming in ILE RPG, Security, Integrated File System, and SQL. Designed for onboarding and skill-building for IT professionals.
- Content Library On-demand and live educational content including webinars, session recordings, and course materials covering IBM i topics such as AI integration, DevOps, database management, and modernization.
- IBM i Professional Certifications Professional certification programs for IBM i professionals to validate skills and expertise across various platform areas, offered through the COMMON learning management system.
- N2i (New to IBM i) Program Program designed to help new IBM i professionals (less than 5 years on the platform) navigate learning and optimize the platform through advocacy, community, and education. Includes monthly Getting Started webinars, mentorship matching, and playground LPAR access.
- IBM Bob Premium Package for i AI-powered modernization training package for IBM i developers covering RPG to free-form conversion, DDS to SQL DDL migration, and AI-assisted code generation and documentation.
- IBM i Guided Tours 2026 Guided educational sessions on IBM i topics including IBM Bob, networking, SQL for system management, and strategic previews, intended for IBM and Business Partner technical sellers.
- N2i Getting Started Series Monthly educational webinar series covering fundamentals of different IBM i areas including performance, AI overview, system administration, VS Code, web development, SQL, and career guidance for new IBM i professionals.
- COMMON Publications (Incredible i Show and Eye on the i) Published content including the Incredible i Show and Eye on the i newsletter providing IBM i news and insights to the community.
- Mentorship Program Program connecting new IBM i professionals with seasoned industry experts for guidance and expertise during their early careers on the platform.
- COMMON Expo Expo event at conferences connecting attendees with IBM i industry leaders and solution providers showcasing cutting-edge products and services.
Companies that use COMMON A Users Group
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
COMMON A Users Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
COMMON A Users Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- IBMcoreIBM is the primary technology partner as COMMON focuses exclusively on IBM i platform education and advocacy. IBM provides speakers, technical content, and maintains a collaborative relationship through the CAAC and LUG structures for platform direction feedback.
- IBM Power Skills AcademycoreCOMMON partners with IBM Power Skills Academy for educational content and professional development initiatives, expanding reach to students and educators.
- COMMON Education Foundation (CEF)coreCEF is the educational arm of COMMON, focusing on creating new educational pathways in IT. CEF provides student scholarships, tuition reimbursement, educator sponsorships, and workforce development initiatives. CEF is governed by its own board of directors.
- Common EuropemajorInternational affiliate organization serving the European IBM i user community with regional conferences, education, and networking. Affiliated groups include Common Germany, Common Netherlands, Common UK (i-UG), and 12+ other European country organizations.
- Common IndiamajorRegional affiliate serving the Indian IBM i professional community with localized education and events.
- Common Latin AmericamajorRegional affiliate serving Latin American IBM i users with virtual and in-person events. Includes COMMON Argentina, COMMON Latino (Brazil), and COMMON Peru.
- Large User Group (LUG)coreLUG membership includes nearly 100 large companies with significant IBM i investment. LUG provides a collective voice to influence IBM strategy and platform direction. Companies span finance, manufacturing, insurance, retail, petroleum, and media industries.
- Local User GroupsmajorNetwork of 20+ local user groups across North America including Toronto Users Group, QUSER (Minnesota), Southeast Michigan iSeries Users Group, and others. These groups provide regional community presence and local education.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
COMMON A Users Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- COMMON Latin America: Latin American COMMON affiliate (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, virtual LATAM events) providing IBM i education and community in Spanish/Portuguese-speaking markets. Affiliated but geographically distinct, competing for regional sponsorship and attendance.
- COMMON India: The India-affiliate of COMMON serving the South Asian IBM i community with localized education and events. Direct functional peer on a regional basis; competes for sponsor attention within the same IBM i ecosystem.
- COMMON Europe: The independent European IBM i user-group affiliate with overlapping mission (education, advocacy, regional conferences) but separate governance and geography. Closest non-identical peer; competes for European LUG mindshare and sponsorship spend.
Direct peers
- SHARE Inc. SHARE is the IBM Z (mainframe) user community—the most direct analog to COMMON's IBM i mission. Same 501(c)/non-profit association model, same conference+education+advocacy structure, same vendor-sponsorship revenue mix. Highly comparable as a peer IBM-platform user group.
- Oracle User Group Community (OAUG/IOUG/Quest): OAUG, IOUG, and Quest are membership-based Oracle product user communities with annual conferences, regional user groups, and vendor-sponsored expo halls—structurally identical to COMMON's IBM i community framework. Comparable as a platform-anchored professional association.
- ASUG (ASUG - America’s SAP User Group): ASUG is the largest North American community for SAP enterprise users, operating annual conferences, SIGs, certification programs, and an advisory voice to SAP—mirroring COMMON's relationship with IBM. Same membership/dues/event revenue model and same community-anchor role for a strategic enterprise platform.
- (ISC)²: (ISC)² is the global non-profit IT security professional association best known for the CISSP certification—analogous to COMMON's role as a certification-anchored community for IT professionals. Comparable professional-association + credentialing model with similar member benefits, training, and advocacy structure.
Broad incumbents
- IEEE Computer Society: A large established professional association serving computing professionals globally with conferences, publications, and certifications. Comparable as a broader professional-association model rather than direct competition; serves an overlapping but much wider technical audience than COMMON.
- PMI (Project Management Institute): PMI is the largest membership-based professional association for a single technical discipline (project management), running annual conferences, certifications (PMP), and global chapters. An instructive peer for understanding COMMON's scale upside and member-monetization patterns at maturity.
Others
- IBM Power Skills Academy: IBM's own university-facing Power/AIX training initiative and a named COMMON partner. Not a competitor on certifications, but adjacent as part of the IBM i education ecosystem; relevant as a benchmark for IBM's own community-building investment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
COMMON A Users Group social profiles
Digital presenceCOMMON A Users Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
COMMON A Users Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
COMMON A Users Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
COMMON A Users Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
COMMON A Users Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about COMMON A Users Group
What does COMMON A Users Group do?
COMMON is a non-profit professional association that provides education, training, certification, conferences, and community services exclusively for IBM i (formerly AS/400, iSeries) technology professionals. Its core offerings include annual memberships, major in-person conferences (NAViGATE and POWERUp), intensive Boot Camp training programs (iBegin, ILE RPG, Security, IFS, SQL), a content library of webinars and session recordings, professional certifications, the N2i (New to IBM i) onboarding program, and mentorship.
Is COMMON A Users Group a public or private company?
COMMON A Users Group is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was COMMON A Users Group founded?
COMMON A Users Group was founded in 1960. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is COMMON A Users Group based?
COMMON A Users Group is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does COMMON A Users Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference and Event Registration, certifications and Education Programs and vendor Sponsorships and Expo.
Who are COMMON A Users Group's main competitors?
Regional players on record are COMMON Latin America, COMMON India and COMMON Europe. Direct peers are SHARE Inc., Oracle User Group Community (OAUG/IOUG/Quest), ASUG (ASUG - America’s SAP User Group) and (ISC)². Broad incumbents are IEEE Computer Society and PMI (Project Management Institute). IBM Power Skills Academy is listed as an others.
Does COMMON A Users Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for COMMON A Users Group.
What industry is COMMON A Users Group in?
COMMON A Users Group's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAANAA, Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications, with a secondary code of EDAFADAG, Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.