Dear CA Boardperson

That's because Kumar was among a handful of top executives who actively go to bat on behalf of his company's channel,publicly to shareholders, and, of course, to the Wall Street analyst community. The few other executives who fit this description in my mind include Intel COO Paul Otellini (soon to become CEO), who routinely highlights partner performance in Intel earnings calls; Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, a serious supply chain advocate; and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who never is afraid to speak his mind about partner strategy, and loudly. Their scrutiny makes the job of the channel chiefs for these companies a bit easier when it comes to getting internal sales support (and probably just a little bit harder, too, when it comes to meeting plan).

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HEATHER CLANCY

Can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

There are other high-tech leaders, like IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano, who we know are supportive of solution providers. But they stop short of proactive commentary.

Kumar took me to task during a keynote at CA's partner conference last year because he didn't agree with a column I had written. Believe me, my ego and I were thrilled for the attention. More important, his comments signaled that he cared, at a granular level. I hope this commitment pervades his new CA role as chief software architect. And I hope his successor is at least half as engaged.

I urge CA's board, which is actively searching for a new CEO, to consider this important qualification when reviewing candidates: At a time when management technology is increasingly critical, CA needs someone who will support its aggressive channel investments, both inside the company and out. A special shout-out goes to potential interim candidate Ken Cron, who is the former president of CMP Media,which publishes CRN,and who understands just how powerful the channel can be.

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The trick, of course, for CA's board members is to weigh these considerations along with all the other regulatory stuff they have to worry about these days. But I challenge them to rise to the occasion. Their selection will make or break CA.

Who would you like to see run CA? HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, welcomes your comments at [email protected].