RR: We are seeing more and more of our people interested in the open systems and very much interested in standards. Nobody has a one-vendor shop anymore. Even the vendors don't have one-vendor shops anymore. They've got to work together, and standards are the only thing that is gong to make this work.

CW: Do you think your members, many of whom are IT managers, are aggressive enough in demanding interoperability from vendors?

RR: I am sure there are some that are aggressive enough and others who aren't. I think that's one of the strengths that Share brings to the process. We can leverage the voice of these managers in a more concentrated way. We're representing 2,200 organizations, 80% of the Fortune 500. That's a strong voice.

CW: Do you intend to cite examples of vendor products that meet your requirements for interoperability?

RR: Typically, those things are presented at a Share meeting. People will come and say, "Here's my experience with Vendor X or Vendor Y. Here's how it works with the standard, or didn't work." Again, here's one of things that make the user group relevant: You can get that information and participate in those kinds of discussions.