Guide Share Europe (GSE) is an international user community that has been connecting corporate users and experts utilizing IT solutions within the IBM ecosystem since 1994. Members meet regularly to foster direct knowledge exchange, deepen strategic partnerships, and pool high-level technical expertise.
History and Philosophy of GSE
GSE originated from the European alliance of the IBM user organizations SHARE and GUIDE. SHARE was established in 1955 within the aviation industry and is the world's oldest computer user group, followed by GUIDE, which was founded in 1959. While the two groups merged to form SHARE in the USA, the independent GSE emerged in Europe.
GSE aims to actively shape the global transformation of IT rather than merely observing it. As an independent non-profit organization, it serves as a platform for experts, pursuing three core objectives:
- GUIDE: Play a pivotal role in shaping the future of IT by influencing innovations and EU standards.
- SHARE: Exchange knowledge and experience to enhance the collective expertise of members.
- EXPAND: Grow expert networks to jointly address business challenges and opportunities.
The 18th GSE ISP Symposium – IBM Storage Protect "Pure"
The annual GSE ISP Symposium offers exclusive insights directly from the IBM development team and provides an outlook on the latest developments in data protection and data security. In addition to the developers, experienced IBM Storage Protect experts and users from around the world will be on hand to discuss best practices and real-world application scenarios.
"How to boost resiliency in Storage Protect/Defender in a world of cloud and AI"
In this interactive discussion session, Markus Stumpf examines the challenges and opportunities associated with modern cyber-resilience solutions within an IT landscape shaped by cloud technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). You can find the event here—https://gse-isp-symposium.paxido.com/en/agenda/—by expanding the tracks:
Empalis Session on September 29, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM (Track 02)
Key session highlights include:
- Interactive exchange: The focus is on discussion with participants rather than a traditional presentation.
- Practical focus: Current solution approaches for IBM Storage Protect and Defender are discussed based on real-world experience.
- Strategic assessment: The pros and cons of various approaches are weighed together to sustainably strengthen enterprise data resilience.
Many will recognize the session’s speaker and moderator, Markus Stumpf, Chief Technology Officer at Empalis Consulting GmbH. He spent six years leading the Data Protection Managed Service team—which he helped establish—and subsequently spent two years developing the company's business development activities. As an expert in data protection solutions such as IBM Storage Protect, Veeam, Rubrik, Impossible Cloud, Wasabi, and Cohesity—with over 20 years of experience in implementation, operations, and training—he looks forward to answering all your questions.
Benefits of attending the GSE ISP Symposium
- Update on IBM data protection solutions: Gain three days of comprehensive information and opportunities to exchange ideas regarding IBM data protection and data resiliency solutions, directly from the source.
- Exclusive expert insights: The IBM development team offers exclusive insights into the development process.
- Practical relevance and best practices: Benefit from real-world use cases and best practices shared by experienced ISP professionals that you can apply to your daily work.
- Global networking: Connect with peers from around the world and build valuable professional relationships.
- Synergies through cross-community exchange: Since an international conference covering topics such as VSE, z/VM, KVM, and Linux on IBM Z & LinuxONE is taking place concurrently at the same venue, participants can benefit from a broader exchange of knowledge that extends beyond their own specific field.
Who should attend?
This event is of particular interest to IT decision-makers, system administrators, and backup specialists responsible for data security and data resiliency within their organizations who are seeking practical solutions for complex IT infrastructures.
Thanks to the concurrent international conference in Leipzig—covering topics such as VSE, z/VM, and Linux on IBM Z—the gathering also offers valuable synergies for experts looking to look beyond the scope of data protection alone.
Registration for the GSE ISP Symposium
You can register directly here to attend the GSE Symposium. Registration options distinguish between packages for members and those for non-members: https://gse-isp-symposium.paxido.com/en/teilnahmebedingungen/.
Register on the official GSE website
Download calendar entry
You can save the GSE ISP Symposium to your calendar here.
Register for our exclusive GSE recap
If you cannot attend in person, no problem. We will present the event highlights in an Empalis Live expert panel discussion and are available to answer any questions you may have.
Join us on October 20, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM for our GSE recap, featuring our proven "ELET" panel format. You can register for the session on our event page.
Do you have questions about the event, Guide Share Europe, or IBM Storage Protect? Please feel free to contact me directly
Andreas Wagener, Information Security Officer
Phone +49 172 761 94 15