I’m sitting here in the lobby at the Colorado Convention Center, on a short break from all the activity here at SHARE in Denver. I wish all of you could have been in Denver to hear James Staten bring some real clarity to our understanding of cloud computing…or to hear Chris O’Malley’s passion for the mainframe and see what kind of innovation can be achieved on this platform…or to resonate with Daniel Burrus’ challenge that it’s not the technology but how we use it to respond to what’s coming that allows technology to be truly transformational. A number of people have remarked to me on the level of energy being carried from these thought-provoking sessions into the rest of our agenda.
Wednesday morning brings the fourth of our industry thought-leaders in main-tent sessions, and I am really looking forward to what Grady Booch has to say.
There’s been a lot of buzz in the SHARE Technology Exchange as well. It was actually difficult to move through the aisles on Monday evening as attendees enjoyed the reception and some quality time with our vendor community.
I’ve seen lots of familiar faces, including some who haven’t been to SHARE in a few years. I’m also seeing lots of new faces – there are quite an impressive number of first-time attendees here. Our linkage with the academic community remain strong, with a number of professors and students attending and presenting sessions. Exposing students to what awaits them as they embark on their IT careers continues to get very high marks from both the students and their faculty. And, we’re already seeing individuals who first came as students returning to participate on behalf of their employers.
Wednesday is Election Day and I encourage everyone to read the candidates' statements and be sure that your organization participates by voting. Be proactive. Stop by the polling place to be sure that someone from your organization has voted and remember that if your designated installation representative was not able to come to Denver, you may be authorized to vote on their behalf.
Looks like my break is almost over, so it’s time to wrap this up. I know there are many of you reading this only on the SHARE Web site who wish you could be here. It’s my fervent hope you will be able to join us in Seattle next March – and my total conviction that the program there will have as much or more to offer you than the excellent choices available here in Denver.