After dumping chief knowledge officer Steve Scott in November for undisclosed violations, Microsoft has finally filled the position. The new CIO is Tony Scott, who previously served in the same position at Disney. Scott was additionally CTO at General Motors and VP of operations at Bristol Myers Squibb.

At Disney, Scott managed a major IT transformation, according to Microsoft, including upgrading the company’s knowledge systems to improve reliability and effectiveness, shifting focus toward “employee enablement,” and upgrading data-center reliability.

Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s COO, said in a statement that the company will leverage Scott’s experience to focus in three core areas.

Building World-Class IT

First, Microsoft will depend on Scott’s “deep knowledge of operational excellence” to build a “world-class IT station,” Turner said. Second, the IT group functions as an internal customer for Microsoft’s products, driving Microsoft solutions and deployment through the enterprise and giving feedback to development groups. “In turn, that will ultimately improve our customer

satisfaction in the marketplace,” Turner said. Third, Scott will share IT best practices with Microsoft customers and partners.

“More than any other company, Microsoft knows how fundamental it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on that success in my new role,” Scott said in the statement. “So few places offer the chance to expand your skills and have an impact across such a broad range of technologies — from services to unified communications to mobility. It is a great opportunity, and I am excited to work with that team to help Microsoft advance its business forward through IT.”

Latest Outside Hire

The hiring is just the latest in a string of outside hires for a company that was once known for promoting from within. Just a week ago, Microsoft hired Stephen Elop away from Juniper Networks, where he served as COO. Elop…

Orginal post by Top Tech News