1. the iPad launch by Apple
2. the completion of the Sun takeover by Oracle

But actually they had a very common theme: control.

Let’s take Apple and the iPad and indeed all their products; Apple exert complete control of the hardware that their product runs on; indeed on their mobile devices, they even control the applications that run on their hardware. Some people hate this, they really do not like this controlling element; they go out of their way to do things to break-free of this controlling element.

But for some reason, we stick with Apple’s products; we may hate the company but we love the product; we accept their control grudgingly. We like the fact that we don’t have to waste our precious time making things work together. And at the end of the day, we can get out of the relationship with Apple pretty easily if we really decide we don’t like them.

Now let’s take Oracle and Sun; Larry has looked back at history to the IBM of the 60s and I suspect at his friend Steve and decided I want some of that control.  In fact, Oracle found people who say that are looking forward to Oracle controlling the whole stack? The one throat to choke but I’m willing to be that in big Enterprise computing, no-one really wants this; they don’t want to be locked in to a single vendor. We’ve been there and done that; we have choice, we have competition.

Yes, at one level, life would be a lot easier with a single throat to choke but we know where that leads and we know if we get too much into bed with Oracle, it’s going to be major struggle to get out of the relationship. There’s too much at stake to allow Oracle the same level of control we grudgingly accept from Apple.

© Martin for Gestalt IT, 2010. | Controlling Behaviour
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This change should not come as news to anyone who closely watches the company. Georgens was said to be the most-likely successor for Warmenhoven since his hiring in 2005 to lead NetApp’s enterprise storage systems group. He previously led LSI’s Engenio subsidiary and has experience at EMC as well. Analysts speak of Georgens with respect and expect little immediate change in the company’s strategy.

NetApp’s press release went out at 4:05 Eastern time, just after the close of the stock market. First-quarter 2010 financial results were announced at the same time, further diluting the market effects of the transition. The company’s stock was trading down slightly after-hours, but no major market movement is expected as a result of the transition. Warmenhoven will remain with the company for a short time before his expected retirement in 2010.

This executive succession stands in contrast to many companies inside and out of the storage industry. Many have speculated, for example, about who might be picked to replace Joe Tucci at the helm of NetApp rival, EMC, but no clear successor has emerged. No company’s succession plan has drawn more speculation than Apple, which has been tightly tied to the fortunes of CEO Steve Jobs. Both could learn a lesson from this gentle NetApp transition.

© Stephen Foskett for Gestalt IT, 2009. | NetApp Shows How CEO Succession Should Work
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