Is mainframe a dead-end career or the next gold rush?
05/15/25 • 30 min
Once seen as a relic, the mainframe has mounted a powerful resurgence, proving itself mission-critical in industries from insurance to finance to healthcare. But just as the platform is asserting its status as modern, flexible and worthy of first-class IT ecosystem citizenship, a looming skills gap threatens to stall that momentum.
In this episode of Maven Cast, millennial mainframers and 2025 IBM Champions Steven Perva and Caroline Whitaker explore the forces pushing the mainframe forward and the barriers holding it back. Together, they unpack how AI, automation, and community leadership are shaping the future of the field and what it will take to bridge the generational divide.
You’ll hear:
- Caroline’s journey from mainframe outsider to enterprise unicorn
- An empowering perspective on what AI means for the future of mainframe ops
- 2 critical keys to keeping mainframe skills and knowledge alive and well
- Why the next generation of tech professionals should take a closer look at the mainframe—and the ultimate pitch for attracting them
- And much more!
Once seen as a relic, the mainframe has mounted a powerful resurgence, proving itself mission-critical in industries from insurance to finance to healthcare. But just as the platform is asserting its status as modern, flexible and worthy of first-class IT ecosystem citizenship, a looming skills gap threatens to stall that momentum.
In this episode of Maven Cast, millennial mainframers and 2025 IBM Champions Steven Perva and Caroline Whitaker explore the forces pushing the mainframe forward and the barriers holding it back. Together, they unpack how AI, automation, and community leadership are shaping the future of the field and what it will take to bridge the generational divide.
You’ll hear:
- Caroline’s journey from mainframe outsider to enterprise unicorn
- An empowering perspective on what AI means for the future of mainframe ops
- 2 critical keys to keeping mainframe skills and knowledge alive and well
- Why the next generation of tech professionals should take a closer look at the mainframe—and the ultimate pitch for attracting them
- And much more!
Previous Episode
Revolutionizing insurance IT: How AI is changing the game
The rise of AI has created a unique set of opportunities and challenges for the insurance industry—not just optimizing efficiency but redefining the very core of the business.
In this episode, esteemed insurance IT experts Greg Black and Holly Olive join Ensono’s SVP of Insurance Phil Ratcliff and Chief Strategy Officer Brian Klingbeil to explore the many ways AI is transforming both industry operations and insurer, agent and policyholder experiences. From the groundbreaking use cases making an impact today, to where AI may be taking the industry tomorrow, these Mavens dive deep into one of today’s most interesting and universally relevant areas of AI application and innovation, including:
- The profound effect AI will have on revenue growth and cost reduction
- Industry winners and losers in the AI-empowered insurance future
- How common data issues can stand in the way of AI implementation and benefits
- The radical ways AI is changing risk assessment, underwriting and adjudication
- Regulatory challenges and ethical implications of leveraging AI in insurance
- And much more
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