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Tony Scott, CIO, Microsoft was in India recently. Scott talks on consolidation of data centers and applications, virtualization, IT budget and strategic outlines, open standards, Green IT, as well as his headaches, and more. Excerpts

How has it been as Microsofts CIO so far?
It is one of the most interesting CIO roles probably in the world. More so as it simultaneously covers three domains: the classic CIO role, which entails responsibility for the IT operations of the company. Then there is the task of working closely with the product development side and contribute as users of MS technologies in beta and development stage, thereby improving product quality. Add to that the chance to work our broad customer base and large enterprises and, in some ways, act as advocates of revolutionary technologies. This is indeed a unique combination of many roles as a CIO.

Tony Scott, CIO, Microsoft

What about the status of initiatives taken up by your predecessors like Stuart Scott with respect to consolidation of data centers, trimming of applications, virtualization drive and use of new collaboration software?
We have made good progress in all of that. The data center consolidation continues. Virtualization is turning out to be a more interesting story. With less than 10% a year back, in terms of servers, it is now about 25% this year, with 50% level expected next year. That is remarkable progress.

We have achieved all goals on application reduction. As regards collaboration software, SharePoint is the primary platform and it has been a great success story, not just at Microsoft but all across.

While you were at GM, you set up Liberty Alliance for Identity Management which was an open standards group. Now at Microsoft, whats your view on the open landscape?
That was created amid some different factors operating that time. Today, the field of Identity Management has evolved a lot. We have set standards in this space. MS commitment, as shared prominently some time back, is broad and significant. Standards are important for commerce and interactivity.

How do you manage the bridging task between MS internal IT and external one?
There are a number of ways in which we are continuously achieving that. Large enterprise forums, CIO summits and EBCs (executive briefing centers) are some examples that help connect various entities.

Green IT is almost turning from a buzzword to a clich? Your practical take on that?
It is an important imperative for Microsoft. This is where virtualization is a great contributor. Added to that is significant action on data center capability, system management tools, server operating system with green IT as a focus. In our data centers, we are using all available technologies as we can find, be it heating or cooling ones or the sources of energy in the very first place. So we have to find ways to offset that with efficiencies wherever possible.

What is your view on some contemporary CIO attention areas like redundancy, complexity, consolidation and standardization?
Yes, it is an important part of what a CIO does these days. As a leader in the organization, its my job to set strategy and objectives in each of these areas. These are really derivatives of other factors. What matters is making business process more effective, making systems easier for customers and partners and of course, handling costs well at the end of the day.

Pratima Harigunani
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in

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