When Gianforte predicts that, within the next decade, the bulk of all enterprise applications will be consumed based on an on-demand model, he speaks with the authority of someone who leads the premiere company for on-demand CRM services in large enterprises. Claiming a 90% annual retention rate among enterprise customers, Gianforte has the power of accountability.
In June, Ozzie landed one of the most powerful titles in the software industry, becoming the chief software architect for Microsoft. His power rests in his marching orders for crafting the company’s all-important software-as-a-service strategy.
With his Apple board appointment, Schmidt ratcheted up his industry cache. You can’t get much cooler than running Google and helping influence Mac (and iPod) development. He hasn’t yet cracked the enterprise nut for Google, but he’s clamping down hard.
The entire network industry is pinning its hopes on a service-oriented future and Winblad is a major force bringing underlying service-oriented architecture services to market. Her current slate of start-ups includes ERP Intacct, a software-as-a-service vendor; MuleSource, maker of open source enterprise service bus software; and Voltage Security, Web-services based encryption wares for storage, e-mail and mobile devices.
