EMC Sics Lewis on Software

EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) is shifting Mark Lewis into a new role as executive VP of its Open Software Operations, replacing Erez Ofer, who, the company says, has decided to move back to Israel (see EMC Appoints Lewis EVP of Software).

The change, which is scheduled to be effective July 1, 2003, comes less than a year after Lewis left Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) to join EMC as CTO and EVP of new ventures in July 2002 (see Lewis Quits HP for EMC).

Ofer, who joined EMC in 1993 and led the software development of the Symmetrix storage system, will retain the title of EVP after he relocates to Israel. EMC spokesman Michael Gallant says the management change was entirely based on Ofer's decision to relocate outside the U.S.

"Erez has done a really great job," he says. "It was 100 percent personal regarding moving his family to Israel." Ofer once served in the Israeli Air Force and has undergraduate and master's engineering degrees from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

In his new role, Ofer will "largely have a customer-facing role" in Europe, says Gallant -- in other words, he's going to be one of the top sales guy in the hemisphere. In addition, he will play a strategic advisory role, reporting directly to EMC president and CEO Joe Tucci. "He will add a lot of firepower to the talent we have in Europe," says Gallant.Meanwhile, EMC is now "looking broadly for a new CTO" to fill Lewis's chair, according to Gallant. Tucci used the executive shuffle as an occasion to pat himself on the back, saying in a prepared statement: "The ease with which we are able to make this transition really speaks to the depth of our management team."

But company watchers say Ofer -- one of the Hopkinton old guard -- may indeed have been relieved of his duties, as EMC looks to drive more revenue from its open software business.

"All I can guess is that Mark [Lewis] represents a more outbound personality in the mix," says Steve Duplessie, analyst at Enterprise Storage Group Inc. "He understands what it takes to not only build stuff, but to sell it, too. EMC built a bunch of stuff -- now they need to sell it. Mark's pretty good at that."

In addition to Lewis's appointment, EMC appears to be taking other steps to try to jack up sales of its open software. For example, it has been rumored to be the winning bidder for the storage management software assets of BMC Software Inc. (NYSE: BMC), which pulled the plug on its Patrol Storage Manager group earlier this year -- a deal that would bring about 130 ex-BMC customers into the EMC fold (see Will EMC Salvage BMC Unit?).

Todd Spangler, US Editor, Byte and Switch