Microsoft's Watson Gets Kudos

Editor's Note: In March, published its third annual ranking of the most effective -- and most controversial -- channel chiefs. As an ongoing component of that coverage, we're running a monthly spotlight featuring the executive who had the greatest impact on channel programs or other channel activities during the previous month. The selection is made each month by the editorial cabinet.

This month's decision wasn't that rough for the CRN Editorial Cabinet. With few exceptions, they pointed to Microsoft's global channels leader, Allison Watson.

As vice president of Microsoft's worldwide partner sales and marketing group, Watson has been instrumental over the past several years in pushing continued refinements of the company's channel efforts. Last month at Microsoft's partner conference in Minneapolis, she touted Microsoft's decision to add a new designation recognizing small-business demand generation skills.

"The new Small Business Specialist Program is PERFECT," wrote CRN editorial cabinet member Michael Cocanower, president of IT Synergy, a Microsoft partner in Phoenix, when casting his vote. "I could not have conceived of a better execution on that if I tried. Certainly, Allison gets lots of credit for that. But I think Steve Guggenheimer [Microsoft's vice president of small business] is really the brains behind that, so he deserves recognition as well."

Cocanower and other cabinet members also praised Microsoft's recent decision to more explicitly recognize custom development activities within its partner program.

"I don't always agree with their programs for partners, but I think this is a pretty good idea to make it easier for partners to navigate the channel and get the resources they need to get business done," said Tom Garvin, executive vice president of emerging technologies at CherryRoad Technologies, Parsippany, N.J.

Also nominated this month were John DiLullo, vice president of worldwide distribution at Cisco Systems, for opening up new distribution possibilities at the networking giant through a pact with D&H Distributing; and Jim McDonnell, senior vice president and general manager of the HP Solution Partners Organization, for pledging to ''double down'' on close partners as a way to build channel allegiance.