CRN's Top 25 Most Influential Executives Of 2006
What, exactly, is influence? This year, CRN editors took a slighly different tack with the long-running Top 25 Most Influential Executives report, building a list of the executives and technologists that got people talking in 2006. What more telling sign of influence than the ability to inspire a debate or conversation?
( Mark Hurd)
President and CEO, Hewlett-Packard
Becoming chairman should have been Hurd's finest hour as a reward for revigorating HP and its channel. Now partners are hoping the boardroom leak probe scandal won't undermine all he has accomplished.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Ray Ozzie)
Chief Software Architect, Microsoft
Ray Ozzie is leading Microsoft into the brave new world of software as a service. If he succeeds, it will be proof positive that nice guys can finish first and visionary technologists still matter.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Eric Schmidt)
Chairman and CEO, Google
With a blizzard of product launches and splashy $1.65 billion YouTube acquistion, Schmidt continues to demonstrate why Google has risen to the forefront of the Web 2.0 crowd.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Hector Ruiz)
Chairman and CEO, AMD
The empire may be striking back, but it is doubtful that Intel will be able to suppress the Advanced Micro Devices rebellion this time, not if Ruiz keeps executing and pushing innovation.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( John Chambers)
President and CEO, Cisco Systems
Does this guy ever rest? Chambers is charting a growth path that could keep the networking leader in double digits for the foreseeable future.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Sam Palmisano)
Chairman, President and CEO, IBM
Palmisano's software and services strategy appears to be kicking in, as evidenced by third-quarter results. Now he just needs to clue his field sales force in on the importance of playing nice with partners.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Paul Otellini)
President and CEO, Intel
Otellini appears to have Intel out of the wilderness, with a little help from his Israeli engineers. Now he needs to show that Intel can expand its horizons. [READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Joe Tucci)
President and CEO, EMC
Tucci's acquistion of RSA Security may be his boldest move yet as he continues to execute on his life-cycle management strategy.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( John Thompson)
Chairman and CEO, Symantec
Thompson is beginning to deliver on promised synergies between security and storage software, but is facing a myriad of new threats to Symantec's market leadership.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Gavin Garbutt)
President and CEO, N-able Technologies
If there is one guy among the managed services platform pioneers who stirs up emotions, it is Garbutt with his all-or-nothing business transformation gospel.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( John Edwardson)
Chairman, President and CEO, CDW
Will Edwardson's stunning move to acquire solution provider Berbee Information Networks help bolster CDW's flagging corporate sales? Mixing distribution with solution selling is easier said than done.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Matt Szulik)
Chairman and CEO, Red Hat
Szulik has new middleware from JBoss, a new channel program and a new challenge in the form of Oracle's services arm.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Brian Dunn)
President and COO, Best Buy
Solution providers may not be too worried about Dunn's Geek Squad, but some are keeping close watch on his beefed up small-business services initiative -- while occasionally dropping by to source products.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( William J. Amelio)
President and CEO, Lenovo
While HP is making hay with Dell's missteps, Lenovo is still struggling with profitability in the U.S. Appointing Amelio, who has been around the block a few times, as CEO could be the key to building the company's brand and channel.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Andy Bechtolsheim)
Senior Vice President and Chief Architect, Sun Microsystems
The triumphant return of Sun's co-founder is doing more than lifting spirits at the beleagered vendor. Bechtolsheim, once again proving he's a master of design, is reviving Sun's fortunes with his Galaxy servers.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Ron Hovsepian)
President and CEO, Novell
Hovsepian is promising to return Novell to its identity as a software company -- in particular a Linux software company -- but can he recapture some of Novell's glory days?
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Safra Catz)
Co-President and CFO, Oracle
Safra says she doesn't want Ellison's job, which is probably the safest thing to say at Oracle. But if the company's mega-mergers continue to bare fruit, her star will continue to rise.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Andy Juang)
CEO, Equus Computer Systems
Custom systems are on the upswing again, and Juang gets the nod for building the Midwestern systems builder into the leading supplier of custom systems to the channel.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Zach Nelson)
CEO, NetSuite
No one is doing a better job of selling software-as-a-service to small businesses -- and the channel -- than Nelson.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Greg Spierkel)
CEO, Ingram Micro
Spierkel is making good on a promise to take the distributor in new directions, as evidenced by Ingram Micro's solid performance over the past year.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Gary Brothers)
President, D&H Distributing
Brothers may be far too even-tempered for the distribution business, but then again D&H's steady rise is a lesson in the value of sticking to your knitting.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Scott Kriens)
Chairman and CEO, Juniper Networks
Kriens' best move may having been hiring former IBM channel veteran Frank Vitagliano to mend fences with the channel, but that won't mend fences with an SEC probe into the company's stock options practices.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Will West)
CEO, Control 4
You could say the home automation market is still in its Will West phase, and his Control 4's low-cost home-control products are lighting up the town.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( John Paget)
President of the Technology Solutions Division, Synnex
Ever since arriving from GE Access, Paget has been the driver behind Synnex's push into value-added services and solutions. Now he has the title to go with the role.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]
( Bob Dutkowsky)
CEO, Tech Data
Who's really in charge at Tech Data? That would be new CEO Bob Dutkowsky, who has some big shoes to fill and issues to address.
[READ THE FULL PROFILE]