Rebecca Roling became SHARE’s new executive director in May, and her experience in wireless technology and in creating an association from the ground-up are assets that will take SHARE and its members into the future. She expressed deep gratitude to Brian Langerman for his leadership, expertise, and vision during his six-year tenure as SHARE’s executive director, highlighting his role in guiding the organization to a strong financial position post-pandemic. This stability will enable Roling to shape SHARE’s future narrative in collaboration with members, volunteers, and the board.
Her first foray into the technology landscape was with internet hardware that was used to build the world wide web before she branched out into the advancement of mobile technologies.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been involved with a lot of companies and associations to help define new technologies, to create standards, and to advocate and promote them to the greater marketplace,” Roling explains. “At Xircom, Intel’s mobile products division, I led advanced research and development, leading the teams that helped develop standards for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, and even Ethernet. And this is when the value of companies collaborating began to crystallize for me. It enabled the creation of new technologies and new spaces.”
Roling's extensive experience in technology product management for enterprise-focused vendors has equipped her with the strategic perspective that will help elevate SHARE's positioning within the mainframe and mission critical systems community. Her proven ability to translate complex technology capabilities into compelling, solution-oriented value propositions will be valuable as SHARE continues its legacy of expertise. "Technology products succeed when we understand the marketplace and articulate the real value that technology delivers," she says. This market-driven approach to showcasing technology value aligns perfectly with SHARE's mission to amplify the expertise and professional impact of mainframe specialists.
The Value of Mainframe Is the Story
In her work as an enterprise IT strategist, Roling says that the top enterprise CIO concerns are with data security and fraud. Furthermore, when she founded the Performance Marketing Association, it was focused on creating privacy best practices, partnerships, and security standards. “This is where my previous work overlaps with SHARE,” says Roling. “The mainframe ecosystem has been securing data reliably for many decades, even when applications and other connected systems are engaged in billions of actions in milliseconds.”
Critical enterprise technology needs to be high capacity and reliable, according to Roling. “This brings us to the heart of SHARE: the mainframe,” she explains. “We can tell the mainframe’s story and showcase how it solves enterprise problems. It’s not just about the functions of the hardware or its applications, it’s about how they provide value. We want to tell the story in a way that makes an impact in the market.”
The deep bench of mainframe expertise is more important than ever, as more people rely on mission critical systems. “I’m excited to be part of and tell the story of SHARE and its members,” she says. “When our members come together to solve problems, it creates innovative change. When companies, technology creators, and enterprise practitioners come together, it moves the market. The importance of mission critical systems is only going to grow. And SHARE has the leaders who can accelerate that growth through collaborative expertise.”
Technology is moving at a faster pace, from the implementation of Internet of Things sensors to artificial intelligence. “These new technologies are going to generate tons of data that needs to be reliably processed and secured,” explains Roling. “Automation is another area that is gaining traction, and it is helping companies identify potential problems that humans can’t catch quickly enough, but all of those things still need centralized control.” She’s excited to be a part of the central role of mainframes in all of it.
“Mainframe-based mission critical systems are more relevant than ever. They improve the quality, speed, and value of business products and human experiences,” she says. When SHARE’s subject matter experts come together to educate, support, and mentor, Roling says, “it becomes invaluable.”
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Serena Agusto-Cox has more than 20 years of editorial experience and six years of experience writing about mainframe and information technology. She interviews and crafts forward-looking and engaging technical updates related to the mainframe ecosystem, highlights the experiences of thought-leaders in the community, and shares important updates to technical education and training.