About the Authors

Linda Sanford, a senior vice president at IBM, leads IBM's internal transformation to a Let Go to Grow business. In this role, Linda is responsible for working across IBM to transform core business processes, create a platform to support those processes, and help create a culture that recognizes the value this can bring to IBM.

Previously, Linda was Senior Vice President & Group Executive, IBM Storage Systems Group, where she helped take IBM from fifth place in storage market share to second place in two years. Prior to assuming that position, Linda led IBM's global sales force, the organization that manages relationships with IBM's largest customers worldwide.

Before that, Linda was General Manager of IBM's S/390 Division, which develops, manufactures, and markets large-enterprise systems. During the early 1990s, she guided the S/390 Division through one of the most comprehensive product transformations the computer industry has ever seen, reinventing S/390 as an open, enterprise-level server.

One of the highest-ranking women at IBM, Linda is a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering. She has been named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Business by Fortune Magazine, one of the Top Ten Innovators in the Technology Industry by Information Week Magazine, and one of the Ten Most Influential Women in Technology by Working Woman Magazine.

Linda serves on the Boards of Directors of ITT Industries, St. John's University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for New York City and is chair of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. Linda is a graduate of St. John's University and earned an M.S. in Operations Research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She lives in Chappaqua, New York.

Dave Taylor is a life-long entrepreneur who has been involved with both business and the Internet since 1980. He has consulted to major corporations, including Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, IBM Corporation, and dozens of smaller entrepreneurial ventures.

The founder of four Internet startups, he has also been published over a thousand times, and has written 20 books, including Growing Your Business with Google (Penguin/Alpha), Creating Cool Web Sites (Wiley), and Wicked Cool Shell Scripts (NoStarch).

Dave holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore, a Masters in Education from Purdue University, and a Bachelors in Computer Science from the University of California at San Diego. A former research scientist at Hewlett-Packard's Palo Alto R&D Laboratories, he serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he teaches both business and technical classes. Dave is a top-rated speaker and has co-chaired a number of conferences including the Blog Business Summit, the Future of Education Summit, and Web Marketing 2000. He has spoken or presented workshops at countless professional events, including Comdex, Networld, Internet World, and Macworld.

Dave lives in Boulder, Colorado, along with his wife, three children, two dogs, one cat, and other animals hiding in the corners. A popular blogger, Dave can be found writing about the latest business and technology topics at www.intuitive.com and www.askdavetaylor.com, and can be reached via email at [email protected].