Maven Cast

Insurance carriers know that agility is essential for staying competitive. But what does it really take to overcome the obstacles to agility in a world of legacy constraints, shifting regulations, and relentless market pressure? In this episode, Ensono's Chief Strategy Officer Brian Klingbeil welcomes back veteran industry leaders Holly Olive, Phil Ratcliff and Greg Black for a candid, practical conversation about the realities of building a nimble insurance IT environment now. 

Drawing on decades of experience, the panel unpacks the true cost of agility, the persistent obstacles that keep carriers stuck, and the strategies that actually move the needle. You’ll hear: 

• Why data—internal and external—is the lifeblood of agile product development 
• How legacy infrastructure and rigid contracts stifle innovation (and what to do about it) 
• The critical role of cloud-native and low-code solutions in speeding time-to-market 
• How AI and new Insurtech tools are transforming code documentation and legacy modernization 
• The cultural and regulatory hurdles unique to insurance—and how to overcome them 
• Real-world examples of incremental wins and missed opportunities 

Whether you’re wrestling with outdated platforms, searching for ways to unlock new business models, or simply looking to future-proof your IT strategy, this episode delivers actionable insights and fresh perspectives from those who’ve been in the trenches. Tune in for a deep dive on what it really means to be agile in today's insurance environment and how to get there, one step at a time. 

When IBM announced the launch of the z17 in April 2025, the enterprise’s silent engine let out a triumphant roar. Not simply a performance upgrade or even a new set of capabilities, it marked a revolutionary turning point, upending long held assumptions about what is and isn’t possible on this iconic platform: AI can happen on the mainframe; security and agility aren’t at odds; the mainframe is not just a system of record, but a system of real-time intelligence in its own right.  

In this 1:1 conversation recorded live at the IBM Innovation Studio in New York City before an intimate audience, Tina Tarquinio, IBM’s Chief Product Officer of IBM Z and LinuxONE, and Lisa Dyer, SVP of Mainframe Services at Ensono, zoom out from use cases to explore the big-picture implications of this watershed moment in the mainframe’s trajectory, including: 

• What the launch of the z17  represents for the future of enterprise technology 
• Assumptions enterprise leaders need to let go of to truly seize this moment 
• How organizations should rethink “modernization” when their most intelligent, secure and sustainable platform is the one they already have 
• The one question C-suite leaders need to ask themselves in light of this shift 
• And more! 

It's time to start seeing the mainframe as the future of secure, intelligent infrastructure. This inspiring conversation between two esteemed mainframe experts will have you thinking bigger and bolder than ever about the potential of your organization's most business-critical system.  

For any organization running a mainframe, modernization is likely a top priority or an ongoing initiative. But what does it truly mean to “modernize” the mainframe? Is it just marketing jargon or boardroom theory? Do the outcomes modernization promises really require the actions enterprises often take? Is mainframe modernization even possible? 

In this Maven Cast episode, Ensono 2025 IBM Champions, enterprise IT experts and mainframe mavens Steven Perva and Paul Buchanan bring unfiltered candor and from-the-trenches clarity to the ubiquitous—but often ambiguous—concept of mainframe modernization. They challenge conventional wisdom about what a modernized mainframe really is, separate hype and delusion from reality, and make the case for bucking the status quo in favor of a client-focused, people-led approach to optimizing the remarkable strengths of this critical platform—one that has stood at the forefront of innovation since it helped put a man on the moon. They also offer a bold prediction about the forces that will truly shape the mainframe’s future. 

You’ll hear: 

• Why “modernization” is a misnomer for a platform that has always led the pack 
• The right and wrong ways to think about hybrid cloud 
• AI, automation, open source: which buzzword du jour delivers the biggest ROI? 
• How AI has helped mainframe technologists overcome the challenges of remote work 
• The mainframer toxic trait that automation is helping to correct 
• What tech prognosticators get wrong about the next big shift on the horizon 
• And much more 

These two veteran technologists go beyond acronyms to deliver real talk about the future of the platform they love. Along the way, they outline the assumptions IT and business leaders should question, and the steps they should take—and avoid—to help guide mainframe modernization in the right direction. 

Insurance carriers seeking to modernize their IT infrastructure are uniquely challenged by a tangled web of legacy systems, client-server apps, and new cloud platforms. In the pursuit of seamless, secure data access, a full "rip and replace" can seem like the right option. But the complexity, cost, and risk of a total migration often leave carriers stuck in the status quo—at the expense of product innovation, business agility, market competitiveness, customer experience and employee satisfaction. 

In this episode, seasoned industry veterans Phil Ratcliff, Holly Olive and Greg Black join host Brian Klingbeil to challenge the false choice between monolithic modernization and technological stasis. Drawing on decades of hands-on experience, they share practical, proven guidance on what really works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to safely and sustainably building a modern, future-ready insurance IT environment.  

You’ll hear: 

• Why modernization must be a continuous tuning process—not a one-time project 
• The surprising power of a step-by-step approach to change 
• Real-world wins from incremental modernization 
• How embracing the permanence of hybrid can unleash the best of both legacy and cloud 
• Keys to seamless cross-platform data flow—powering everything from CX to AI 
• And 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! 

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 

Technologists have been awaiting the AI revolution for years, and some can't help but wonder whether the boom we’re in now is the real deal—or another overhyped tech trend destined to flame out. Veteran tech leaders Paul Gottsegen, CMO and President of ISG, and Tim Beerman, CTO of Ensono, agree: Today's AI frenzy is no fake-out. It’s a tidal wave that’s washing over all of us, and the time for enterprises to jump on it is now.  

In this episode, Paul and Tim look at how and why AI technology, in all its modalities, really is poised to transform every aspect of enterprise operations, and how business and IT leaders can seize the moment. They explore: 

• Why AI is an inflection point like no other in our lifetime 
• The surprising #1 inhibitor to scaling AI in the enterprise 
• The most impactful and actionable enterprise AI use cases right now  
• A remarkable example of AIOps-driven cost savings 
• How AI has ushered in a new era of mainframe relevance  
• The best and fastest ways to empower your teams with AI 
• And more!