This month, Planet Mainframe celebrates influential mainframers nominated by the community. The field benefits from their efforts in making the mainframe what it is today and working towards the mainframe of tomorrow.
Today, we showcase someone who inspires others with her outstanding expertise in mainframe technology, innovative approach to modernizing it, and enthusiastic willingness to share knowledge.
Jessielaine Punongbayan
TechEvangelist/Senior Support Engineer, Dynatrace
Linz, Austria
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Jessielaine Punongbayan is a Tech Evangelist and Senior Support Specialist at Dynatrace Austria. With a genuine dedication to mainframe modernization, AIOPS, and DevOps solutions, Jessielaine channels her passion into driving innovation and efficiency in the tech industry. Jessielaine began her mainframe career in college, studying Computer Science at San Sebastian College Recoletos in Manila.
“I got into mainframe straight after graduating from college. I applied as a programmer trainee, and after completing that, I was assigned to the position of COBOL developer.”
From her humble beginnings as a COBOL developer, Jessielaine has steadily climbed the ladder of success in the mainframe industry. Her thirst for knowledge and innovation led her to transition from supporting mainframe operations to spearheading innovation. With a keen eye for new solutions, she not only shares her expertise with the community through conferences, blogs, and video tutorials but also aims to inspire and educate others in the ever-evolving landscape of technology.
Jessielaine’s influence extends beyond technology. She is a staunch advocate for women’s empowerment, diversity, and inclusion. Her commitment to these causes is rooted in her own experiences, having been uplifted by numerous women throughout her career.
“There are many people who influenced me throughout my mainframe career. I would say my mentors from the Philippines (Ms. Liza, Ms. Arlene and Ms. Gisela), My wonderful colleagues in Singapore (Sheila, Belle, Minette and Mars) and my mainframe partner in crime, Richelle.” As a TechEvangelist, Jessielaine is thrilled to share her ideas with the mainframe community.
“What excites me the most about the mainframe is its perpetual improvement,” she shares. “The open-source world is now embracing mainframe and creating tools that can assist mainframers, like me, in our daily tasks. It’s not just one aspect of my job but all of it. From the modern IDE, Zower Explorer, to the use of Zowe CLI for CI/CD and automation, and Alerting and Telemetry gathering via Opentelemetry. I am excited about the myriad opportunities to innovate mainframe and the collaborative community that is eager to work together and learn from each other.”