Ron Markezich, who was responsible for Microsoft’s call center and help desk operations, will now be in charge of 300,000 IT devices used across the firm, including PCs, laptops, and networked servers, that manage the company’s information assets.
Markezich arguably faces a tough challenge getting a handle on what is arguably one of the world’s most advanced and complex IT environments. The Redmond firm has a reputation for thristily drinking its own champagne over the years, which has added considerable complexity to its internal IT systems.
We use Microsoft products aggressively, Markezich said in a statement at the end of last week.
One of Markezich’s first goals will be to lower the cost of running its IT infrastructure through hardware and software consolidation.
Microsoft is aiming to trim around $100m from the cost of this infrastructure.
Reflecting the shifting role of the CIO from the technical business of data processing towards a broader knowledge management function, expertise gained from this exercise will be passed onto customers.
Rick Devenuti, Markezich’s predecessor and now in charge of Microsoft’s global services (internal and external) division, will be looking to take best practices gleaned from internal experience to external customers.
This article is based on material originally published by ComputerWire
