Unleash the POWER: IBM i & Beyond

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

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

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

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

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      

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