Our members are driving the mainframe ecosystem: our mission is to Guide, Share and Engage. If you want to know what’s happening in the industry right now and what’s coming down the line, join us.
Guide Share Europe (GSE) is an international non-profit association of companies, organizations and individuals involved in technology using mainframe architectures. 100% independent, we are led and staffed by dedicated volunteers. Our objective is simple: to Guide, Share and Engage to benefit our members.
We encourage people to share their knowledge and experience. This not only helps their employers to work smarter and adopt new approaches in software, hardware and communications, it also means we can have a say in product and service development by vendors, and influence European standards in IT and communications in the interests of our members.
GSE today comprises more than 1,000 companies and organizations, representing 12,000 IT professionals.
“It’s a community coming together to help and support each other, in an environment that’s not driven by sales. It’s all about education, and learning more about what’s driving this industry. You are hearing from leading experts in their field.”
‘Give and Take’
The GSE approach is founded on collaboration and information sharing for mutual benefit.
GIVE:
- Guidance – sharing knowledge between members and between vendors and members to help implement and operate IT solutions.
- Information – influencing the providers of products, solutions and services offered to members and ensuring vendors and other IT-related bodies act in our best interests.
- Vision – helping our members to understand and contribute to how IT is developing.
- Education – providing easy access exceptional teaching and training from a variety of sources, including vendors, other members and educational bodies.
TAKE:
- Technology – helping industry players on all sides to interact, discussing new and emerging technologies and the best ways to implement them.
- Advantage – gaining new insights to help your own organization to optimize IT and have an impact on total cost of ownership.
- Knowledge – tapping into a ‘hive mind’ of exceptional knowledge, including IBM R&D and other globally renowned experts, to drive maximum business value from IT investments.
- Experience – sharing experiences, ideas and business values with GSE members to help you to implement new technologies and ensure best practice in your own environment.
How GSE is organized
GSE members can participate in activities at regional, national and European level. At the European level there is an annual spring meeting called the GSE Guide Spring Event. This is a two day event for technical managers. Each paid up member company can send one delegate free of charge. This and other European events are listed on the GSE European HQ Website.
At regional level, our Working Groups focus on detailed issues in specific product and business areas. This work often includes IBM representatives.
We also contribute to IBM Technical Conferences, with GSE members receiving discounts for these events. Details are posted on our Events page and the GSE HQ website.
Within GSE, active marketing by any vendor or member is absolutely prohibited. This prohibition also includes the hiring of new employees. This ‘golden rule’ provides our members with peace of mind that other member organizations will not approach and recruit their staff at meetings, conferences and other GSE-related activities.
GSE holds a type-C ISO membership and is a member of the European ICT Roundtables. This gives our members access to the Information and Communications Technology standards process.
GSE in the UK
The GSE UK region covers the UK, Ireland and some Middle Eastern countries, and is managed by the GSE UK Region Board. More than 40 companies and organizations are already active in GSE UK, with 500+ managers, technical and professional personal regularly involved.
GSE UK has upwards of 12 Working Groups (WG) each with its own Steering Committee elected by the group’s members. Each group consists of representatives from member organizations. You can find more information on their individual pages linked from the Working Groups page. Meetings are also published on our Events page.
The GSE UK Region Board and Working Group Chairs are responsible for organizing our annual regional conference. Ideas for the conference agenda are developed from made by previous participants and from working groups, and may be triggered by news and developments from IBM and other vendors.
Join us today
To claim your free places and discounts at GSE and IBM events, plus many other membership benefits, email membership@gse.org.uk and request an application form. Alternatively, visit the GSE HQ pages.