Ex-Microsoft server boss Muglia lands on Juniper

Former head of Microsoft’s $15 billion-a-year server and database business, Bob Muglia, has landed a newly-created role with Cisco rival Juniper Networks.

Muglia's hire as Juniper's Software Division vice president fills out the unit after Juniper's organisational shakeup last February, which split it from the Platforms unit.  

Juniper said its software and security division would be centralised under its new vice president, Muglia, who will report to Juniper’s chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson. 

Key products under the software division included Juniper's mobile management and security suites for enterprise and mobile operators, its network application development platform and network gateway products. 

"We are excited to have a leader of Bob's calibre coming on board to lead Juniper's software initiatives, and I'm confident that his vision, management savvy and technical expertise will bring tremendous value to our organisation," said Johnson.

"As we continue to execute on our growth strategy centered on systems and software, we look forward to Bob playing a central role in extending our leadership position in network-powered software solutions."  

Ballmer ousted Muglia from Microsoft after the pair disagreed over Microsoft's strategy in January. 

In Feburary Microsoft replaced Muglia with fellow Redmond veteran Satya Nadella, who it had credited as a key player in the launch of Bing and its integration with Yahoo! as well as an MSN revamp.