Juniper, which competes with the likes of Cisco and HP in the networking space, has hired former Microsoft executive Bob Muglia to oversee its newly created software division.
Juniper Networks is hiring former longtime Microsoft
executive Bob Muglia to head up its newly formed software division, an
indication of the importance Juniper and other networking vendors place on the
role of software in the market.
Juniper on July 25 announced the decision to make Muglia
executive vice president of its Software Solutions Division, where the company
will centralize its varied and growing software offerings. Muglia will oversee
Juniper's overall software strategy, according to CEO Kevin Johnson.
"We are excited to have a leader of Bob's caliber
coming on board to lead Juniper's software initiatives, and I'm confident that
his vision, management savvy and technical expertise will bring tremendous
value to our organization," Johnson said in a statement. "As we
continue to execute on our growth strategy centered on systems and software, we
look forward to Bob playing a central role in extending our leadership position
in network-powered software solutions."
With networking playing an increasingly important role in
the data center, thanks to the growth of such technologies as virtualization
and the rise of cloud computing, there is a need for software that helps
manage, configure and run the network. All the major networking vendors are
growing their network software offerings, though Juniper officials see their
portfolio-and the combination of that software with their hardware-as a key
differentiator in its competition with the likes of Cisco Systems and
Hewlett-Packard.
Central to that portfolio is the Junos Networking operating system, which is the
software platform that is common to all of Juniper's hardware, from routers and
switches to security devices. Juniper also offers a Junos SDK (software
development kit), which enables its own developers and third-party programmers
the chance to develop applications that leverage the network operating system.
In addition, the vendor offers a host of other software
products, including the SRX Series and vGW Series security products, MobileNext
core for mobile operators, the Junos Pulse mobile security suite for managing
mobile devices, and the Junos Space platform for developing and deploying
network applications.
Juniper executives said they hope to grow and enhance their
software portfolio with Muglia at the helm. He brings with him more than 23
years at Microsoft, where most recently he was president of Microsoft's $15
billion Server and Tools Business, a unit whose revenues grew 50 percent under
his direction. The business group encompasses infrastructure software,
developer tools and cloud computing platforms, including products such as
Windows Server, SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center and the Windows Azure
Platform.
In January, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that
Muglia would be leaving the software giant this summer, part of a larger exodus of high-ranking executives from Microsoft that
started last year and spilled over into 2011. A month later, Microsoft tapped Satya Nadella, who had overseen the
company's Bing search engine business, to take Muglia's place as head of the
server and tools business.
In announcing Muglia's departure, Ballmer praised his
performance but said that new leadership was needed.
"While Windows and Office are household words, our
Server and Tools Business has quietly and steadily grown to be the unquestioned
leader in server computing," Ballmer wrote in a Jan. 10 email to employees. "We
are now ready to build on our success and move forward into the era of cloud
computing."
For his part, Muglia sounded excited about the move to
Juniper.
"I have long respected Juniper for its disruptive
approach to solving the toughest networking problems and for its networking
vision that is simple, open and programmable," he said in a statement.
"I am thrilled to be joining Kevin and his team and look forward to
contributing to the company's continued success and momentum in the
marketplace."
Email
Print
