Introduction

The International Db2 Users Group (IDUG) is a global software user group serving over 15,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to support and strengthen the information services community by providing education and services designed to promote the effective utilization of Db2. With such a vast network of Db2 users, IDUG relies on its online community to support continuous learning and connection.

As IDUG evolved its technology stack and transitioned to a new AMS, the organization saw an opportunity to rethink how its community could better support engagement, learning, and collaboration at scale.

Challenge

Prior to Breezio, IDUG had been using Higher Logic (Socious) for its online community for several years. While the platform was functional, it no longer aligned with IDUG’s goals around usability, and they began searching for possible alternatives that could launch alongside their new AMS in Q1 of 2024.

 Key Goals

• Increase engagement and participation across discussions.
• Create structured learning libraries using existing and future community content.
• Support both regional user groups (RUGs) and an all-member discussion space.
• Integrate tightly with Novi to keep membership data, access, and groups in sync.
• Deliver a simpler, more intuitive experience for members without sacrificing core functionality.
• Reduce overall platform costs compared to their previous setup.

The solution

Breezio provided the flexibility IDUG needed to bring learning and engagement together in a single, easy-to-use community. IDUG selected Breezio as its new community platform and began implementation in February 2024, launching in April 2024.

Key goals for their community were to:

• Support Member-Driven Discussions: Members use the IDUG Community to ask questions, share guidance, and discuss real-world Db2 challenges. In addition, reply-by-email functionality allows members to participate directly from their inbox, lowering friction and encouraging response rates.
• Enable Structured Learning Paths: Leverage Breezio’s Collections feature to organize content into learning libraries, turning community content into an educational asset that members can revisit over time.
• Bridge the Gap Between Events and Community: Event registrants are automatically synced into event-specific community groups where members can connect, discuss, and continue conversations before and after events. 

Results

Since launch, IDUG has seen strong adoption and engagement across its community:

• Approximately 70% of discussions receive replies, indicating active peer-to-peer participation.
• Over 15,000 members are subscribed to community notifications, receiving email updates whenever something is created in the community.
• 922 documents are organized across 54 Collections, allowing members to consume content in structured learning paths, rather than searching through disconnected posts. 

These metrics reflect a community that members actively rely on for both learning and support, not just a static discussion board.

The Power of Partnership

Since IDUG had been using Socious for well over a decade, they had accumulated a significant amount of community content in their previous system. As a result, their migration was the largest Breezio had ever supported at that point.

Working closely with IDUG, the Breezio team upgraded its import scripts to accommodate the amount of data they were migrating. These improvements not only ensured a smooth transition for IDUG but also strengthened Breezio’s migration capabilities for future clients.

This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to scalability, flexibility, and long-term platform success.