In a recent article (Big Blue sees Red -- Celebrating 40 years of IBM international technical support) I introduced the ITSO to iTWire readers.

Who better than the program director of the ITSO, Jackie Olson (pictured), to tell us a lot more about the organization, its mission, how it operates, and its deliverables -- in particular the IBM Redbook publishing "phenomenon" but lots more too.

You can download the podcast from here (MP3 format, file size 6.7 MB, duration 17:55).

In the previous article, I mentioned the vast collection of IBM Redbooks, and included just a few Redbook titles to illustrate the wide range of these books. These books are nearly always produced via ITSO residencies

One title that I mentioned was TCP/IP Tutorial and Technical Overview which in particular, it so happens, Jackie has something special to say about.

By the way, this is one of numerous Redbooks that has universal interest, not aimed only at IBM system users. And keep in mind that all IBM Redbooks can be downloaded for free! (Jackie points out that you can also order bound copies.)

The initial objective of the ITSO, founded in 1968, was to provide high-quality documentation to IBMers, IBM business partners, and IBM customers, all from around the world. Overs the years, the ITSO (and IBM in general, of course) has evolved dramatically. Compared with the original printing and hard copy distribution of Redbooks, the ITSO uses the latest technologies to deliver its products and services.

The ITSO's other deliverables include "Web 2.0" mechanisms such as wikis for technical and sales enablement, and they also deliver technical workshops around the globe.

You can register for RSS news feeds and also for the ITSO mailing list which is a a weekly newsletter that lists new or updated Redbooks or Redpapers (smaller, topic-specific books), residencies and ITSO workshops.

Whether you have a relationship with IBM (as an employee, customer, business partner) or not, take the time to become familiar with the ITSO and its offerings, it's well worth it.