At BMC, innovation isn’t just about products — it’s about the people who turn big ideas into reality. This month, we’re thrilled to spotlight Eric Odell, Liat Sokolov, and Anthony DiStauro, visionary leaders who, together with countless dedicated teams, brought BMC AMI Assistant to life and earned industry-wide recognition. 

From the very start, the team’s mission was clear: 

Empower mainframe teams with AI that’s not only smart, but deeply contextual, secure, and seamlessly woven into daily workflows. 

And that vision turned into reality through relentless collaboration, problem-solving, and a passion for transforming how teams engage with their systems. 

Let’s dive deeper 

We sat down with Eric, Liat, and Anthony to understand the innovation, challenges, and future behind this award-winning work. 

💡 What inspired the team to build AMI Assistant, and how did the idea evolve over time? 

The inspiration came from the convergence of two powerful trends: the rapid advancement of Generative AI and a growing SME knowledge gap in mainframe environments. As more organizations faced challenges maintaining deep system expertise, we saw an opportunity to bridge that gap with GenAI — delivering intelligent, conversational guidance on where and when users need it most. What began as a knowledge assistant evolved into something more dynamic — a contextual AI capability embedded in the BMC AMI Product Portfolio, powered by BMC AMI Platform. Over time, we realized this wasn’t just about surfacing answers, but about shaping a new way of interacting with the mainframe.

🚀 What were some unique challenges you faced while building AMI Assistant? 

One major challenge was delivering answers that are not only accurate but also grounded in context. Unlike general-purpose AI, our users need responses that are precise, traceable, and aligned with enterprise security standards. We also had to design for a wide variety of personas — from system programmers and operators to application developers — all with different workflows. That meant building a flexible platform experience that felt seamless across product lines. The magic of BMC AMI Assistant is that it fits into the workflow without disrupting it. That took time — it meant working hand-in-hand with SMEs, dev teams, and customers.

What’s next on the horizon for BMC AMI Assistant? 

We're now working towards a more proactive and agentic vision driven by AI-Agents. — where BMC AMI Assistant can not only answer questions but also act. This involves deeper integration across our platform and services using a shared AI orchestration layer. 

In parallel, we’re investing in domain-specific improvements like code explanation, infrastructure insights, and tailored recommendations, all focused on helping users move from insight to impact with minimal friction. We’re also expanding our use of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which enables BMC AMI Assistant to seamlessly integrate with multiple products and tools, exchange live context, and support increasingly sophisticated agentic workflows. Alongside MCP, we are implementing an Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication protocol, allowing AI-Agents to directly exchange information, coordinate decisions, and collaboratively execute tasks. This combination of MCP for live context integration and A2A for agent communication forms the backbone of our vision for a distributed, intelligent ecosystem where agents can reason collectively, share insights, and act autonomously to drive faster and more reliable outcomes across the platform. We’re just scratching the surface. BMC AMI Assistant will evolve into an intelligent orchestrator — connecting data, decisions, and actions in real time.

👏 A huge shout-out to Eric, Liat, and Anthony and the whole team for their incredible dedication and innovation. Their work is not only shaping the future of mainframe operations but also delivering real, measurable value to customers every day. 

💬 Have thoughts or want to celebrate their achievements? Drop a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going! 

Click here for the course abstract and registration details. 

For any queries, reach out to us at [email protected].

Many thanks to everyone who helped us develop this course.

Hey everyone!

Want a simple way to key updates, helpful discussions, or must-read posts right where they’re easy to find? Try the pinning feature in your community group feed — it’s a simple way to keep important content front and center for everyone.

✅ This is especially helpful for:

• Highlighting critical updates
• Keeping track of ongoing discussions
• Promoting events or initiatives within your group

📌 With this feature, group admins have the ability to pin content, helping them feature essential posts at the top of the group feed.

How to pin a post:

• Head to your group,
• Navigate to the feed section
• Click on the three dots on any post and select “Pin.” (As shown in the below screenshot.)

Give it a try and make sure your group’s most valuable conversations stay front and center.

Have you tried using the pin feature yet? We’d love to hear your thoughts or favorite ways you’re using it — let us know in the comments below!

Hello BMC Community!

We’re happy to share that BMC AMI Assistant has been recognized with the “Conversational AI Innovation Award” at the 8th Annual AI Breakthrough Awards!

This award is a proud milestone that reflects our continued efforts to bring intuitive and AI-powered experiences to the mainframe space. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this achievement—across teams, functions, and conversations.

💡 What is BMC AMI Assistant?

BMC AMI Assistant is a conversational AI solution that allows mainframe professionals to interact with complex systems in a more natural and efficient way. It helps users:

• Troubleshoot issues with ease
• Understand unfamiliar code using plain language
• Access trusted knowledge and take action faster

By integrating with existing AMI solutions and drawing from centralized institutional knowledge, it makes working with the mainframe simpler, faster, and more effective.

Why It Matters

As mainframe environments grow in scale and complexity, tools like AMI Assistant help reduce the time spent on manual investigation and documentation. It supports better decision-making, bridges knowledge gaps, and makes mainframe systems more accessible for new and experienced users alike. This recognition encourages us to continue enhancing the experience for all who rely on the mainframe—and to keep simplifying the path forward.

🚀 Building on Our Momentum

This recognition follows our 2024 win, when BMC AMI zAdviser Enterprise earned the award for “Best Overall AI-Based Analytics Solution.” These back-to-back wins reflect BMC’s consistent drive to lead with innovation, intelligence, and customer impact.

🎥 Helpful Resources

Here are a couple of short videos you may find insightful:

• Watch Video 1
• Watch Video 2

A big congratulations once again to everyone involved—here’s to more milestones and shared success ahead. ✨ Cheers to the brilliant teams behind this achievement!

Behind every solved thread is a contributor who took the time to share, guide, and empower someone else. In the BMC Community, that kind of generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.

We celebrate our Solution Heroes — members who go above and beyond to solve problems, share insights, and empower others with their responses. Each month, we spotlight those whose answers made a real impact and helped move the community forward.

This month, we're excited to feature both familiar names and fresh contributors making their mark:

Our Top five Solution Heroes for the Month

1. Lars Mahrendorf

📌 Scheduling non-dependent jobs in Smart Folder

2. Dnyaneshwar Nanaware

📌 BMC Helix Email Engine v23.3.04: How to Enable Troubleshooting Logs as Email Engine is Running in Separate Pods?

3. LJ LongWing

📌 Has anyone seen ARImport_Data_Holder show up in the AR Import Tool (v23.3.04) instead of a list of column names when attempting to manually map fields for the specified .csv import file?

4. Mun Keong Lee

📌 Avoid empty Smart Folder creation

Also contributed to:

📌 Updating Web Service Input Parameters array using Deploy Descriptor

5. Laurent Matheo

📌 Event Button, OnChangeActivate?

Every Answer Builds a Stronger Community

Whether you're guiding someone through a blocker or simply sharing what worked for you, know that you're creating value far beyond a single thread.

Thank you for showing up, speaking up, and lifting others with your knowledge. Let’s keep going — together.

At BMC Helix Career Cafe, our goal is simple: to bring you more career stories of the experts in the industry. Through candid conversations and inspiring journeys, we spotlight professionals who have carved meaningful careers in the BMC ecosystem. Whether you're just getting started or looking to grow within the ITSM space, Career Café is your place to learn, reflect, and be inspired.

Meet Our First Expert, Carl Wilson – Principal Solution Architect

Carl Wilson is a seasoned Principal Solution Architect whose global journey reflects his passion for technology and adaptability. Originally from New Zealand, Carl spent his formative years in Australia before settling in the United Kingdom, where his career truly took flight.

His professional story began in the telecommunications industry, where he was first introduced to the Remedy platform—a spark that ignited a deep, self-driven interest in enterprise solutions. Entirely self-taught, Carl transitioned from telco into the ITSM space full-time, embracing the challenge and opportunity it offered.

Since then, Carl’s expertise has taken him around the world, solving complex problems across diverse industries. His career path stands as a testament to lifelong learning, bold transitions, and the power of saying yes to new adventures.

We sat down with Carl to dive deeper into his career journey, lessons learned, and advice for aspiring professionals in the ITSM space.

👇 Here’s what he had to say:

1) What mattered more: College or course?  Did your marks or degree matter in the real world?

Course, I did do a Electronics Engineering Degree however certain aspects excited me more e.g. Digital computing/microprocessors as it was still an up and coming topic and evolving rapidly.

 Degree, I never have been asked to produce the marks.

2) Was there a turning point or defining moment in your career?

Many. I have worn many hats from Telecommunications, Professional Bike Racing, Labourer, IT Professional. Each was a point in time to do something different and have a vreak/chamge, and each defined a period in time. 

3) What's one career myth you'd like to bust for the next generation?

You dont need multiple degrees or masters to achieve a position. Many companies now prefer experience over college degrees as it takes time to teach the necessary skills, however that does not mean that you cannot take a starting position where the company allows you to grow and move.

4) What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their Helix career?

You cannot learn everything about all aspects in a short period of time. There are so many aspects to so take the time to fully understand each aspect one by one, but have an overall understanding of how other aspects can affect each other. It is a continuous learning curve as new products and features are released.

5) What’s the biggest risk or bold move you’ve taken in your Helix journey so far?

Moving into the BMC space. I moved countries and changed careers from Telecommunications to BMC at the same time, and it worked out in my favour. I did put in the hard work and effort before making the move, however it was still a gamble to change careers and country at the same time.

6) Have you ever felt like giving up? What kept you going?

No, I really enjoy what I do as there is always something new to learn. Understanding when to take a break if feeling overwhelmed and having a work/life balance is key. Take time to enjoy activities outside of work. I also enjoy mentoring, which is part of my current role.

7) What’s one skill that helped you succeed in the Helix ecosystem?

Determination and learning to reach out to other people. Not being afraid to ask a question, not matter how silly you may think it is. Also talking through the issue with another person/team. I had a mentor back in Australia (Rod Harris) whom I still am in contact with today, along with other good friends and colleagues in the ecosystem that may or may not still be working in this space e.g. Matt Reinfeldt, Danny Kellet, Jason Miller, LJ, Laurent and many others. Without these people, I would not be where I am today.

8) How do you feel about the transition that happened since the day you started with BMC products and today?

I have mixed emotions about recent changes. I understand why things need to change (progression/technology/etc.); however dealing with customer frustration is an aspect that can be very challenging at times due to the way the platform has change especially for the on premise customers moving to containers.

9) How do you measure success in your career today?

To be able to know at the end of the day that I made a difference and did a good job. Success is feeling good within yourself about what you do and enjoying what you do. I believe if that you do not like/love what you do, then you need to find a different career and something that you are passionate about.

Grateful to @Carl Wilson for sharing such a thoughtful and inspiring journey. It’s sure to encourage many early in their careers to dream big and stay curious.