Leader: Dell CIO defection is no knockout blow by HP

HP has delivered a powerful body-blow to rival Dell this week by poaching its highly regarded CIO Randy Mott. It's a move that will no doubt have left Michael Dell and his fellow Round Rock executives smarting.

In the IT industry executives are always moving around, changing sides and switching allegiances but this move stands out as having more significance.

Mott is widely regarded as one of the world's top CIOs, having almost single-handedly transformed Wal-Mart's supply chain before moving onto Dell five years ago where he has continually squeezed cost out of the PC manufacturer's direct supply chain by standardising on global IT systems.

Obviously Mott will bring that intimate knowledge of Dell's supply chain, IT infrastructure and inner workings to his new role - and that kind of information is priceless to a competitor - but HP is getting much more than that for its money.

HP president and CEO Mark Hurd has already signalled his intention to trim the fat and make HP a leaner company through some pretty aggressive cost-cutting - particularly in the IT department - and that is where Mott's experience will be vital. In an interview with silicon.com earlier this year while still at Dell, Mott said his most basic belief is "always value the bottom line".

But it's going to be no easy task and Mott will have his work cut out for him - which after five successful years at Dell is probably why he felt the need to take up a new challenge in the industry.

Back over at Dell, Mott's departure will be a blow but the impact is only likely to be short-term. The company is still streets ahead of HP and other rivals in terms of market share and profit and Mott has left a healthy and extremely lean IT legacy for his successor. HP has shown its cards by moving for Mott but it will now be interesting to see what Dell's response is and whom it appoints to fill his shoes on a full-time basis.