Podcasts provide a portable way to entertain and educate both broad and niche audiences. Often they serve to strengthen thought leadership and community around a topic. With varied episode lengths, podcasts also offer an opportunity for more informal and frequent touch points with an audience. If you’re looking for the perfect podcast resource for the mainframe industry, we’ve compiled a list of five podcasts that SHARE’d Intelligence readers should check out for the latest updates, discussions, and insider perspectives on what’s new in enterprise technology and more.
1. ‘Terminal Talk’ with Frank De Gilio and Jeff Bisti
“Terminal Talk” hosts Frank De Gilio, chief technology officer at IBM, and Jeff Bisti, z/OS cloud system architect at IBM, release new, 30-minute episodes every two weeks. On the podcast, De Gilio and Bisti offer interview discussions with the people behind the mainframe in an effort to highlight the culture and technology of the platform. From CICS to Cloud, the hosts interview mainframe experts, like Michael Fontanetta and Michael Neuliep of Ensono, about tips and tricks meant to help professionals in the industry. Available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
2. ‘I am a Mainframer’ with Steven Dickens
Monthly podcast “I am a Mainframer” is hosted by Steven Dickens, tech analyst at Futurum, and episodes run 20–40 minutes. Dickens, who helped launch the Open Mainframe Project in 2015, engages in conversation with those who have careers in the mainframe sector to highlight the modern mainframe, provide insight into the industry, and offer advice to those looking to learn more about the technology. He has interviewed Greg Lotko, general manager at Broadcom, and Haseeb Jawad, director of product management and operations at Rocket Software, among others. Available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
3. ‘Modern Mainframe’
“Modern Mainframe” features a variety of hosts and is released two times per month with most episodes no longer than 25 minutes. In each episode, the host offers a look at the latest mainframe features and thoughtful discussions on topics such as security, data, operations, application development, or DevOps. Interviews regularly touch on thought leadership, how-to-advice, customer stories, and personal experiences, and may even spotlight multi-part discussions. One such discussion includes a recent look at mainframe innovation and DevOps with John McKenny, senior vice president of intelligent Z optimization and transformation at BMC. Available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
4. ‘Mainframe, Performance, Topics’ with Marna Walle and Martin Packer
On “Mainframe, Performance, Topics”, Marna Walle, software engineer at IBM — who just so happens to write her Marna’s Musings column through SHARE’d Intelligence — and Martin Packer, principal Z system investigator at IBM, delve into the most pressing z/OS topics. When combined with guest experts, episodes explore current technologies and typically include one mainframe item, one performance item, and one topic that could be related to Walle or Packer's careers. The banter between the hosts is engaging as they talk about mainframe installation, examine new technologies like Trello, and more. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
5. ‘TechTalk Enterprise’ with Reg Harbeck
“TechTalk Enterprise” host (and member of SHARE’s Editorial Advisory Committee) Reg Harbeck, chief strategist at Mainframe Analytics Ltd., hosts 20-30-minute episodes released monthly. In interviews with members of the mainframe and large enterprise computing ecosystem about their personal and career journeys, listeners have the chance to hear from visible mainframers as well as those who are lesser-known in the community. Each interviewee has a fascinating story to tell about their journey and the technology that has captured their attention. Recent interviews include experts like Derek Britton, director of communications and brand strategy at Micro Focus, Nicole Fagen, director of product management at Broadcom, and Phil Teplitzky, chief executive officer of Teplitzky & Associates, among others. Available on Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud.
We'd love to hear about the industry podcasts you're listening to. Email us at editor@share.org to “share” your favorites.