EMC Wins Over Elias

EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) today announced that it has hired Howard Elias -- who as a longtime executive in the storage divisions of Compaq and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) frequently bashed his Hopkinton rival -- a move that Byte and Switch reported earlier this week (see Elias Hops Aboard EMC Express).

Elias has been appointed executive VP of new ventures at EMC. In his new role, he will manage EMC's emerging business initiatives, including the Centera content-addressed storage (CAS) operations, and he will help identify new growth opportunities in information lifecycle management. Elias will report to Joe Tucci, EMC's president and CEO.

In coming to EMC, Elias joins a few other ex-HP execs who have also defected. Mark Lewis, executive VP in charge of EMC's software operations, came aboard last year. This summer EMC recruited Mark Sorenson, previously in charge of HP's storage software strategy (see EMC Sics Lewis on Software and EMC Hires Sorenson, Promotes Two).

Elias, who quit HP last month, used to regularly criticize the Hopkinton company from his various perches at Compaq and HP (see Elias Flees HP).

"EMC's business model is no longer relevant," Elias told BusinessWeek in September 2002, referring to the company's previous focus on high-margin hardware products.So what made Elias change his mind?

In a prepared statement released today, Tucci offers some clues: "Our singular commitment to storage, market-leading position and investments in storage innovation have enabled EMC to attract the industry's best for the benefit of our customers, partners, employees and shareholders. Howard is a recognized leader throughout the IT industry and brings a wealth of experience that will help EMC deliver on our vision of becoming the ultimate information lifecycle management company."

An EMC spokesman told us Elias was unavailable for an interview today.

Most recently, the 46-year-old Elias was senior VP of business management and operations for HP's Enterprise Systems Group. Prior to that, he headed HP's network storage solutions group after the company acquired Compaq in 2002. Elias also spent three years as VP and general manager of Compaq's storage products division -- during which time Compaq became a leader in midtier storage -- and he has also held various senior business and product management positions at Digital Equipment Corp., AST Research, and Tandy Corp.

Byte and Switch can also confirm that Elias is not the most graceful dancer in the world. But he knows a thing or two about storage, and he is an impressive catch for EMC.Todd Spangler, US Editor, Byte and Switch