Microsoft has expanded the job description of its
competitive business strategist and appointed a more senior person
to the job.
The software supplier named company veteran Martin Taylor
"platform strategist" as part of its staff shuffle.
Taylor succeeds Peter Houston, who as senior director of server
strategy had been tasked with driving Microsoft's competitive
server business strategy with respect to Linux and other open
source products.
The job has been expanded from just servers to cover all Windows
platforms. Also, Taylor is higher up in Microsoft's hierarchy as a
"general manager" of competitive strategy.
In each of its financial filings over the past quarters,
Microsoft has publicly stated that Linux and open source in general
threaten its business model.
Expanding the scope of the competitive strategist's job makes
sense, said Rob Helm, research director at Directions on Microsoft,
an independent research firm.
"Right now the single biggest thing the company has to drive
across its business units is a response to Linux and open source
software. Taylor has been handed the ball. Overall it seems like
the company is starting to operate against open source from more
than a single product perspective," Helm said.
Taylor has been with Microsoft for over 10 years, most recently
serving as director of business strategy in the office of Microsoft
chief executive officer Steve Ballmer. He held several positions
before that, including that of general manager at Microsoft
Caribbean.
Houston has moved on to product development and will be in the
enterprise management division.
Microsoft has also recently reorganised its Platforms Group,
combining the Developer and Platform Evangelism, Windows Server
System and Enterprise Storage and Management units.
Joris Evers writes for IDG News Service