Unleash the Power: IBM i and Beyond is about building the right foundation for availability, security, insight, automation, and AI so IBM i teams can move forward with confidence.
In this episode, Tom Huntington dives into the IBM i Marketplace Survey, an industry benchmark he has led for the past 13 years. The survey provides a unique view into the evolving priorities, challenges, and opportunities shaping the IBM i community.
Tom shares key trends from previous years, discusses why the survey is such a valuable resource for IBM, business partners, and customers, and previews what to expect from this year's edition. Topics include the ongoing skills gap, cybersecurity readiness, AI adoption, modernization initiatives, and the future of the IBM i platform.
Whether you're an IT leader, IBM i professional, or technology decision-maker, this conversation offers valuable insight into where the community is today and where it's headed next. Tom also explains why every survey response matters and how participation helps influence future innovation across the platform.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear what's driving the IBM i ecosystem and learn how you can help shape its future by taking part in the latest IBM i Marketplace Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Marketplace-survey-unleash-the-power
29 Jun 2026
What's your AI readiness strategy?
AI is creating excitement across every industry, but successful AI adoption requires more than just choosing a tool or launching a pilot project. For IBM i organizations, AI readiness starts with the fundamentals: trusted data, strong security, clear governance, operational visibility, and well-defined business goals.
Greg discusses why many AI initiatives fail to deliver value, how poor data and weak controls can limit AI success, and why organizations should focus first on building a strong foundation. The episode also introduces a practical five-layer AI readiness framework covering security, operational control, trusted data, workflow management, and governance.
Whether you are an IBM i professional, IT leader, security stakeholder, operations team member, or business decision maker, this episode provides practical guidance on how to prepare your organization for meaningful AI outcomes.
Before asking, "What's our AI strategy?" organizations should first ask, "Are we ready for AI?"
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
4 May 2026
Using AI to Strengthen the Team, Not Replace It
In this episode of Unleash The Power, Greg Schmidt explores a practical and people-focused view of AI. Rather than seeing AI as a replacement for employees, Greg discusses how organizations can use it to educate newer resources, scale expert knowledge, shorten the learning curve, and strengthen the team while keeping human oversight in place.
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
16 Apr 2026
POWERUp 2026 Preview: What to Expect in New Orleans
COMMON POWERUp is the largest IBM i community event in the world—and POWERUp 2026 heads to New Orleans April 27–30 at the New Orleans Marriott.
In this episode, host Greg Schmidt sits down with Floyd DelMuro, President of COMMON, for a practical preview of what attendees can expect: the biggest themes shaping this year's agenda, how to choose sessions that match your role (ops, security, development, leadership), why the Expo is worth your time, and simple strategies to turn conference learning into real progress once you're back home.
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
3 Apr 2026
When Downtime Is Not an Option: High Availability, Disaster Recovery, and IBM i Resilience
In this episode of Unleash the Power: IBM i and Beyond, Greg Schmidt is joined by Bob Butcher to discuss the importance of High Availability, Disaster Recovery, and resilience in IBM i environments. They explore the difference between HA and DR, why backups alone are not enough, common readiness gaps organizations face, and how testing and automation play a critical role in keeping the business running. The episode also highlights how Robot HA can support a stronger, more repeatable continuity strategy for IBM i teams.
Looking for more - check out our recent webinar, https://power.fortra.com/resources/videos/workshop-powerha-robot-ha
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
Learn more about guest, Bob Butcher: https://power.fortra.com/profile/bob-butcher
23 Mar 2026
Why Document and Workflow Management Matters for IBM i Organizations. And How to Get Started
In this episode, we explore why document and workflow management matters more than ever for IBM i organizations and how to get started in a practical, manageable way. While IBM i environments continue to power critical business operations with trusted data and stable systems, many organizations still rely on manual, disconnected document processes that create delays, reduce visibility, and increase risk.
We break down why this topic is so important today, from improving efficiency and strengthening compliance to preserving process knowledge and enhancing the customer experience. We also walk through a simple path for getting started by identifying pain points, mapping current processes, connecting documents to business context, and improving one high-value workflow at a time.
With 27 years of experience helping organizations with digital transformation and process improvement, I share practical guidance for IBM i teams looking to modernize the processes around the systems they already trust. If your organization is still managing invoices, reports, approvals, or customer documents through paper, email, or disconnected systems, this episode will give you a clear framework for building a smarter path forward.
Looking for more: https://power.fortra.com/products/electronic-document-management-system-software
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
6 Mar 2026
Catching IBM i Storage Problems Before They Escalate
In this episode, we dig into the real-world truth about IBM i storage: issues rarely show up as a "big problem" on day one.
Drawing on experience of industry expert Bob Butcher, from both the MSP side and the customer side, we break down how storage problems actually start, the early warning signs teams often miss, and what you should be monitoring to catch growth before it becomes an outage. We'll also walk through the usual suspects libraries, IFS, spool files, and temp/work storage and share the patterns that quickly point to the real culprit.
We wrap with a rapid-fire "most impactful recommendations" list of solutions every IBM i shop should consider to stay ahead of growth and reduce risk.
Looking for more - check out our recent webinar, Best Practices for Managing IBM i Storage:
https://power.fortra.com/resources/videos/best-practices-managing-ibm-i-storage
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
Learn more about guest, Bob Butcher: https://power.fortra.com/profile/bob-butcher
24 Feb 2026
Unpacking Fortra's 12th Annual IBM i Marketplace Survey
In Episode 1 of Unleash the Power: IBM i and Beyond, Greg Schmidt unpacks the biggest message from Fortra's 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey: the IBM i skills shortage is now the top business concern.
Why does that matter? Because skills shortages don't just affect staffing they impact security, modernization, resilience, and the ability to keep critical operations running smoothly. In this episode, Greg connects the dots between the survey data and the real-world challenges IBM i teams are facing today.
Tune in for a practical discussion on how organizations can reduce complexity, improve repeatability, and strengthen IBM i operations through automation, visibility, governance, and smarter modernization.
Learn more about your host, Greg Schmidt: https://power.fortra.com/profile/greg-j-schmidt
Read now! 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey Guide: https://power.fortra.com/resources/guides/ibm-i-marketplace-survey-results
Watch now! 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results Revealed On-Demand Webinar: https://power.fortra.com/resources/videos/2026-ibm-i-marketplace-survey-results-revealed
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