EMC Hires IBM Fellow as CTO

In a case of executive poaching from a rival, information systems
giant EMC has hired former IBM Fellow
Jeffrey M. Nick to the position of senior vice president and CTO.

Nick will become the Hopkinton, Mass., company’s first CTO since Mark Lewis
vacated the position in 2003 to head EMC’s software division, a role that
has evolved and which he now shares with former Documentum CEO Dave DeWalt.

The move is another example of the heated competition between EMC and IBM,
which are both vying for leadership positions in the market for selling
systems that help companies store, manage and retrieve data.

Rivalry in the space has grown more intense in the wake of government
regulations that command enterprises to retain files, such as e-mail and
spreadsheets for determined periods of time. Both IBM and EMC are developing
information lifecycle management strategies, in which data is managed from
inception to its destruction, to meet customer demand.

According to a statement, Nick will help guide EMC’s ILM strategy, related
platforms, software and services. Nick’s team will also evaluate emerging
information management trends and play a major role in setting technical
direction for EMC’s M&A activities.

He will report directly to Howard Elias, EMC Executive Vice President,
Corporate Marketing and Office of Technology.

“Customers continue to reap the benefits of EMC’s investment in and delivery
of the most comprehensive portfolio of information lifecycle management
solutions in the industry,” Elias said. “Jeff is a recognized leader and
innovator and brings to EMC a depth of experience that will be increasingly
valuable as we continue to drive increased innovation in the industry.”

Departing in June after 24 years with the Armonk, N.Y., company, Nick began
as a software engineer and ultimately earned the distinguished title of IBM
Fellow. Most recently, Nick was responsible for the design and architecture
of IBM’s on demand initiative and at one point also led IBM’s Grid Computing
strategy.

Nick has filed more than 80 inventions and holds more than 50 U.S. patents
in computer technology.