But times have changed, and it now looks as if Microsoft's preparation was worth it. Now, in an improved economy, the company stands ready to tap synergies among its server software, DAS and NAS replacement, and emerging iSCSI.
The strategy's still in flux. Several weeks back, management made Muglia senior VP of the Windows Server Division, of which Enterprise Storage is now a part. Muglia in turn answers to Eric Rudder, senior VP of Servers and Tools, one of Microsoft's seven core business units. Exactly what impact this move will have on Stevens's title and the storage division in general is still playing out.
Stevens is caught up in all this activity enthusiastically so. A 20-year Microsoft veteran, he's held a range of jobs that involve all of the elements that go into the company's storage networking strategy ISV relationships, enterprise customers, and global marketing. He was, for instance, VP of the Microsoft Enterprise and Partner Group, and for three years in the late 1990s he was VP of Microsoft's Asia business.
We caught up with Stevens on the phone in mid-January. In true Microsoft mode, he's quite a talker and was eager to evangelize, but ready to clarify when we confronted him with questions about HP,IBM, Linux, security, and other topics.
Click on the links below for specific portions of the interview:
Bob Friday, Chief AI Officer for Juniper Networks, explains how the advanced technology is transforming operations.
Contact center leaders from 8x8, Awaken Intelligence, and 360insight discuss the importance of agent experience.
AI may force enterprises to rewire parts of their data centers so they are fully optimized to run such workloads. The question is do you use Ethernet or InfiniBand?
