Microsoft Data Chief Stepping Down -- Visual Studio Magazine

Onward and UpwardKeith Ward, Editor in Chief, Visual Studio Magazine

Microsoft Data Chief Stepping Down

Mary Jo Foley is reporting that Microsoft Corporate Vice President Ted Kummert is stepping down as of Jan. 31. Kummert was the head of Microsoft's Data Platform Group (DPG), and in this role, as Foley writes, he's the leading visionary for "SQL Server, SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse, Windows Azure Data Services, Windows Embedded and Microsoft's business intelligence and big data offerings."

What does the mean for the future of Microsoft's data initiatives? It's impossible to tell as of now, of course. But it is another high-level loss for Redmond, which has seen its share of defections over the past several years.

At least Kummert wasn't directly in the DevDivision, like the recently-departed Jason Zander, and less-recently-departed but still-missed Scott Guthrie. And don't forget the loss of Big Cheese Steven Sinofsky, just after Windows 8 was released.

Whew. That's a lot of brainpower gone. Microsoft will do what it's always done: carry on and find (hopefully) capable replacements. But with Microsoft's increasing presence in Big Data, the timing isn't great. I think this will become a key growth area for the company going forward, and Kummert's decision to leave could slow things down a bit.

Posted by Keith Ward on 01/25/2013

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