The 25 most powerful people in networking
Network World, 01/04/99
WILLIAM LARSON CEO, NETWORK ASSOCIATES
 While security concerns have been growing with each new advance in Internet/intranet/extranet usage, the security market has been a pretty splintered one.
But that's all changing, thanks to the vision of Bill Larson. Through acquisitions, Larson has pushed Network Associates to the top of the security heap, turning it into the largest independent network security and management software company and the 10th-largest independent software company overall.
Network Associates was formed in 1997 when McAfee Associates merged with Network General. After that, the company acquired Pretty Good Privacy, Magic Solutions, Trusted Information Systems, Dr. Solomon's Group and CyberMedia. In the process, the company's revenue has skyrocketed from $90 million in fiscal year '95 to north of $900 million this year.
Since Larson joined McAfee in 1993 from SunSoft, he has overseen 14 acquisitions, putting Network Associates at a pace that only the likes of Cisco have been able to match. In doing so, Larson and associates have put together an impressive array of security and network management tools and have brought some order to an unruly marketplace.
That's put Network Associates in a great position, as security-sensitive customers open their networks to more and more remote workers and customers. Look out Gates and Computer Associates' Charles Wang.
LARSON'S CHALLENGE: Larson has to weave all that he's acquired in a hectic few years into a tight whole in order to capitalize on all the opportunity out there.
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