Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Entrust CEO Sets High Goals

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    June 11, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Since taking over as CEO of Entrust Inc. in April, Bill Conner has spent much of his time flying around the world to meet customers of the embattled PKI vendor. His message: He intends to return the Plano, Texas, company to break-even status or better by the end of this year. Last week, Conner took a big step toward that goal, announcing a cost-reduction plan that includes firing 30 percent of the companys workers and a $400 million restructuring. Senior Writer Dennis Fisher spoke with Conner on the day of the announcement about the plans.

      eWeek: Is this a one-time reduction, or are more layoffs coming?

      Conner: I hope its the last of the layoffs. We needed to get the profitability picture back in line and get our new model going. Were looking at this as a good day because its the start of our new strategy.

      eWeek: Why did you wait four months before announcing this plan?

      Conner: If all I wanted to do was get people out, I could have done that in my first week. But I wanted to intersect the market for enhanced [public-key infrastructure] services and make sure it was the right time.

      eWeek: Aside from the layoffs, how else are you going to address the changing market conditions?

      Conner: Were going to zero in on our enhanced capabilities and tighten our go-to-market focus by putting more resources into alternative channels like systems integrators and consultants. Were also going to push for increased deployments of our technology.

      eWeek: A lot of companies have been delaying expensive IT purchases such as PKI deployments because of the economy. Wont that make your goal of breaking even this year pretty tough?

      Conner: Well, our activity for this quarter has been pretty good compared to last year. And, right now, the top two issues for CEOs in business and government are security and privacy. Part of the restructuring is getting us more focused on our core vertical markets like government, financial and large enterprises, so I think breaking even is realistic.

      eWeek: What makes you so confident that your customers will go for the enhanced PKI services?

      Conner: Ive talked to our customers, and theyre looking for these enhanced capabilities. As more applications are laid on top of Web portals, server certificates just dont cut it. They dont ensure who youre talking to. So once people understand the need for persistent encryption and enhanced security, theyll come to us. The basic technologies of Web certificates and single sign-on are irrelevant at this point.

      eWeek: How are the layoffs going to affect the companys ability to develop new products and get them out the door?

      Conner: I dont think they will have much effect on that. The layoffs were focused in our professional services, sales and marketing areas mostly. There were some in the [research and development] area too, but that shouldnt prevent us from moving ahead.

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×