Juniper's Executive Shifts Signal New Direction

Juniper Networks' confirmation Thursday that departing Microsoft Corp. executive Kevin Johnson will take the reins as CEO, while current CEO Scott Kriens will remain on as board chairman, is a sign that Juniper is gearing up to create more of an ecosystem play than just a string of products, solution providers said.

Late Wednesday, Microsoft said that Johnson was leaving his post after a 16-year career with the software maker where he was most recently president of its Platforms & Services Division. Johnson's exit sparked speculation that he would "run" Juniper and that Kriens was stepping down. Instead, Juniper, Sunnyvale, Calif., on Thursday said that Johnson would take on the role of CEO and a seat on the board of directors, while Kriens would remain on as chairman and stay active in strategy and leadership development. Kriens, 50, has held the top executive slot at Juniper since shortly after the company was established in 1996.

"The first 12 years at Juniper have been the most rewarding years of my professional life and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together," Kriens said in a statement. "We are very excited to welcome Kevin as our new CEO. He is a world-class executive, and a person whose values align exactly with the culture upon which Juniper has been built. I look forward to working closely with Kevin in the years to come as we continue to build on Juniper's success."

Johnson, 47, joined Microsoft in 1992 and has led the Platform & Services Division since 2005, overseeing 14,000 employees and products like Windows Vista, Windows Live and Web search. Johnson was also instrumental in Microsoft's so far failing attempts to acquire Yahoo Inc.

"I am delighted to join Juniper," Johnson said in the statement. "Juniper is a company with a clear technology agenda, great talent and an amazing growth opportunity in a growing industry. I'm looking forward to bringing my experiences to help Juniper scale and deliver great value to Juniper's customers, partners, employees and shareholders."

And while VARs said they don't see the changes in Juniper's executive ranks as earth-shattering, they expect that the most recent appointments are a possible signal of more changes to come.

"They recently have announced a new VP of sales, so it wouldn't surprise me if there are more changes," said Chris Bacerra, co-founder of Terrapin Systems, a San Jose, Calif.-based solution provider and Juniper partner. "I don't expect our day-to-day operations to be effected by these recent changes."

Pat Grillo, president of Branchburg, N.J.-based solution provider Atrion Communications Resources said he was caught off guard by Johnson's appointment.

"There's got to be some angle there," Grillo said. "I'm wondering what's the change and how is it going to affect me."

Jeff Hiebert, CEO of ROI Networks, a San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based solution provider said the changes likely won't create an immediate impact, but noted that it could be a sign that Juniper is shifting its focus to create a stronger platform play to help it compete against others in the crowded networking field, like market leader Cisco.

"I don't think it will have an immediate impact, but I like where Juniper is going," Hiebert said.

Bringing aboard an executive from a software giant like Microsoft could be seen as an evolution for Juniper and its 10-year-old JUNOS operating system, which also was recently integrated with its security operating system, ScreenOS, Hiebert said.

"Juniper's really trying to align around JUNOS as the operating system; the operating systems coming together into one," he said, adding that Johnson's appointment signifies that Juniper is recognizing the value of software and will likely carry that message forward.

Hiebert's theory coincides with Kriens' messaging during Juniper's J-Partner Summit earlier this year, which focused on what Kriens called "the power of one;" using JUNOS as the one operating system. Along with Juniper rallying around JUNOS, it has also taken to calling itself the leader in high-performance networking gear.

NEXT: More changes in Juniper's executive ranks