As an IT professional, it is vital to stay on top of trends that keep your skills fresh and relevant. Conferences and books are traditional ways of doing this, but podcasts are a new and increasingly popular way to sharpen your knowledge.
Podcasts mean you can stay up-to-the-minute with the IT industry—without traveling or taking up valuable time. Podcasts are perfect for passive learning, like when you’re commuting, exercising, or cleaning the house. To help you navigate the many, many podcast choices out there, we put together this list of IT-minded podcasts, aimed at IT professionals of all stripes and experience. This article is part of our Tech Books & Talks Guide. Explore the menu to the right for more recommendations on digital transformation, AI and ML, governance, and more.
Feel free to reach out if you have a tech podcast we should know about. To be considered, please email details including the podcast name, website, and suggested episodes specific to IT pros to blogs@bmc.com.
(This article is part of our Tech Books & Talks Guide. Use the right-hand menu to navigate.)
Top IT/Tech Podcasts of 2020
Here are the best IT podcasts that offer learning and insight into the most current, timely topics in tech:
Technovation
Technovation is perhaps the best podcast series on the web focused on CIOs and C-Suite thought leadership. Host Peter High, author of Implementing World Class IT Strategy, interviews experts on trends and best practices for IT leaders. Browse by topics like AI, leadership positions, women in tech, and entrepreneurship.
Who should listen: Top executives of business and tech; innovators and tech evangelists
Favorite episodes:
- Digital Innovation at Dow with CVP/CIO/CDO Melanie Kalmar
- Atlassian President Jay Simons & CIO Archana Rao on the transparent, honest workplace they’ve built at Atlassian
- Symantec’s CEO Talks Cybersecurity discusses the necessity of detection and automation in the critical area of prevention
- Dilbert Creator Scott Adams on leaving the corporate world to become a cartoonist.
This Week in Enterprise Tech
Part of the This Week in Tech (TWiT) network, This Week in Enterprise Tech focuses on professional IT while still keeping topics engaging, fun, and easy to consume. Hosts Louis Maresca, Brian Chee, Curt Franklin, Brian McHenry, and Heather “Mo” Williams covers trends in enterprise systems. Episodes record live every Friday, with nearly 400 episodes available for on-demand listening.
Who should listen: Professionals in enterprise technology
Favorite episodes:
- GRAND THEFT TESLA (Episode 381), which covers bad security habits of security pros, two-factor authentication made mandatory in Ring, and how to jailbreak Teslas.
- ALWAYS TRUST TWIET (Episode 372), including what CISOs can expect in a new position.
- AUTOMATION: IT’S NOT JUST FOR DEVOPS (Episode 353), all about how enterprise tech has (finally!) embraced the power of process automation.
The Hanselminutes Podcast
Scott Hanselman is a web developer and programmer at Microsoft, but his personal podcast, The Hanselminutes Podcast, explores many tech topics with emphasis on tech culture and current events in technology. Published weekly with hundreds on demand, the podcast’s air of humanity provides a unique perspective on technology.
Who should listen: IT innovators, thought leaders, and professionals
Favorite episodes:
Risky Business
A must-listen weekly podcast all about security, Risky Business offers insights into news and trends like doxing scammers, ransomware, government reports, and security risks in cyberspace. With close to 600 episodes, this podcast is acclaimed for providing relevant and timely information to pros. Save time, stay current, and learn some new InfoSec tricks.
Who should listen: Security professionals
Favorite episodes:
- Apple and Google go all in on contact tracing
- Are cloud computing resources the new toilet paper?
- Balkanisation, ransomware, comedy bugs close out the decade
Heavy Networking
Self-described as “an unabashedly nerdy swan dive into networking technology”, the Heavy Networking podcast is part of the Packet Pushers network. Hosts Greg Ferro, Ethan Banks, and Drew Conry-Murray explore real-life situations with network professionals and others who gush over the latest network news. With 500+ podcasts and counting, you can learn all about networking, industry standards for network technology, and popular concepts like automation.
Who should listen: Network professionals
Favorite episodes:
- Heavy Networking 508: Should Network Engineers Learn Advanced Programming Languages?
- Heavy Networking 494: Hybrid Cloud Networking – All The Details
- Heavy Networking 455: The Wonderful World Of Wireless – Beacons, Probes, SSIDs And More
FLOSS Weekly
Hosted by Doc Searls and part of the popular TWiT network, FLOSS Weekly is all about the open source world. After all, FLOSS is short for free, libre, and open source software. Searls sits down with a variety of guests and co-hosts to discuss everything from up-and-coming innovators to the best software on the market.
Who should listen: Developers and open source enthusiasts
Favorite episodes:
- FLOSS WEEKLY 576 Create/Destroy/Manipulate Your APIs
- FLOSS WEEKLY 573 Hydra: Elegantly Configure Complex Applications
- FLOSS WEEKLY 566 Flutter Update
The Cloudcast
As the name suggests, The Cloudcast is all about the hot topic of cloud computing, with an emphasis on cloud programming. This independent podcast has been around since 2011, so hosts Aaron Delp and Brian Gracely certainly know their stuff. Weekly episodes feature updates and interviews with tech leaders. Frequent topics include cloud computing, open source, serverless, DevOps, Kubernetes, big data, AI and ML, and of course the Big 3 of cloud: AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Who should listen: Programmers and cloud professionals
Favorite episodes:
- Making Microservices Work at Scale
- API Driven Edge Networking and 5G
- SRE Lessons from the Trenches
- Next-Generation Developer Collaboration
Accidental Tech Podcast
The “three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters” are Marco Arment, Casey Liss, and John Siracusa. In this weekly podcast you’ll get a tech enthusiast’s POV on all things tech and pop culture—perfect for IT pros who like tech for fun, too.
Who should listen: Tech professionals, hobbyists, and enthusiasts
Favorite episodes:
Analog(ue)
We include Analog(ue) on this list because it looks at how we culturally engage with mobile devices and what sorts of feelings we get from technology—both positive and negative. Hosted by Myke Hurley, co-founder of Relay FM, and Casey Liss of ATP, the Analog(ue) podcast comes out every few weeks, occasionally featuring recognized leaders in IT, raising questions like: does engaging with technology emotionally attach us to it?
Who should listen: Tech enthusiasts and leaders seeking to up their emotional intelligence
Favorite episodes:
- #173: The Roaring Twenties – Holiday reviews and looking ahead at this new year
- #168: I’m Here to Do a Job – Fundraising, burnout, and vacations
Software Defined Talk
The Software Defined Talk podcast is a fun and easy listen, with hosts Michael Coté, Matt Ray, and Brandon Whichard covering all sorts of enterprise IT subjects. Frequent topics on the weekly show include Kubernetes, serverless, cloud, and DevOps.
Who should listen: Programming, DevOps, and cloud professionals
Favorite episodes:
Supporting I.T. Support
Calling all IT support professionals! This monthly podcast looks at the intersection of business and tech from the perspective of IT support—the everyday heroes of every company. Hosted by Jesse Nowlin, Each episode features an interviewer with a veteran IT professional on subjects from career growth to success and failures.
Who should listen: IT support pros and tech leaders
Favorite episodes:
Network Disrupted
A newcomer to this list, Network Disrupted it an important listen for leaders of all stripes, from managers of small teams to C-levels of global companies. Andrew Wertkin, Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCat, talks monthly with tech leaders on 21st century business topics like innovation, digital transformation, and AI and automation.
Who should listen: Tech leaders, C-level executives, and disrupters
Favorite episodes—listen or read the transcripts here:
- How do I up-skill my team for digital transformation?
- Is there one right way to roll out new technology?
- How can I enable my organization?
a16z
VC firm Andreessen Horowitz started the a16z podcast to explore how technology affects culture, work, news, and the future. Each episode, a rotating team of hosts interviews business leaders and industry experts from across the world. A related series looks at technology news in episodes that are 20 minutes or less.
Who should listen: Tech and business leaders
Favorite episodes:
IT Visionaries
We wholeheartedly agree with this podcast’s tagline: “Your #1 source for actionable insights, lessons learned, and exclusive interviews with trailblazing IT leaders.” In each episode of IT Visionaries, part of the Mission Network, you’ll hear Fortune 100 tech leaders share their experiences, their goals, and what hasn’t quite worked. Up your IT knowledge and management skills with these 30-45 minute episodes. Short on time? Skim each episode’s page for key takeaways.
Who should listen: IT managers and leaders
Favorite episodes:
- 180: Modernizing and Humanizing the Digital Workforce with Ram Palaniappan
- 179: Adapting to the New Normal with Cognizant’s Allen Shaheen
- 171: Differentiating AI from IT with Dan Faggella, CEO Emerj
Reply All
You don’t have to be a tech professional to love this tech-adjacent podcast that’s been running since 2014. Among the best podcast hosts, PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman combine personalities and interests to answer bizarre tech issues in their Super Tech Support segment, do full-on investigative journalism, and even test their up-to-the-minute pop culture knowledge with a Twitter game called Yes Yes No.
Who should listen: Anyone interested in the convergence of tech and pop culture
Favorite episodes:
Run and Reinvent by BMC
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention our own podcast, Run and Reinvent by BMC. In each episode, we interview industry leaders from BMC and beyond to get insight on the digital transformation challenges and successes of IT and business decision makers.
Who should listen: IT professionals and tech leaders
Favorite episodes:
Why listen to podcasts?
Podcast enthusiasm has grown significantly in the last decade, with recent research indicating 50% of U.S. households listen to podcasts. Listening to podcasts offers a new way to learn and engage your brain. Use a smartphone and headphones to use them on-the-go, while running errands, working out, or going for a drive.
For IT professionals, these podcasts also offer benefits to IT professionals like:
- Developing new skills
- Staying current with tech news and trends
- Sharpening soft skills like multitasking, focus, and attention
- Exploring new areas of interest
- Getting updates on tech conferences
How to listen to podcasts
If you’re listening while you work, Most podcasts are available directly on their websites, so you can listen in-browser. Prefer to stay organized and portable with your podcasts? Here are the most popular listening platforms, with smartphone apps so you can download and listen at your convenience:
