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Flexera Appoints New CEO to Lead Growth and Innovation in Software License Optimization

By Laura Stotler, TMCnet Contributing Editor

It’s a new era for Flexera Software as former CEO Mark Bishof has announced his retirement. COO Jim Ryan is set to become CEO in 2016 and will focus on strengthening the company’s position in the application usage and licensing market. Flexera specializes in helping enterprises and app developers maximize the value of their software.

Ryan will continue to help the company grow, with a focus on software licensing, compliance, cybersecurity and installation solutions that are designed to help clients optimize their software investments and prepare for the future. Flexera has had a busy year, rolling out new solutions and acquiring software vulnerability management specialist Secunia (News - Alert).

“I am very excited to move into this role and look forward to further enhancing Flexera Software’s position as the market leader for increasing application usage and value,” said Ryan. “I’m honored to have been affiliated with the employees, customers, partners and solutions of Flexera Software all these years.”

Ryan has held leadership positions at Flexera for more than 17 years and was instrumental in launching the company as a private entity spinoff of Macrovision Software in 2008. He also spent seven years in the UK, leading Flexera’s EMEA operations. The company recently announced a new office in Melbourne in an effort to enhance its research and development efforts throughout the region.

The expanded facility is an innovation center for the company’s FlexNet Manager Suite, a software license optimization offering. The solution helps companies maintain their software license compliance while also eliminating waste through continuous management and optimization. The offering may be used for on-premises and cloud-based software deployment in a variety of vertical markets as well as throughout a broad range of IT architectures. Flexera estimates software license optimization may be used to save businesses in the Asia Pacific region a whopping $14 billion per year, roughly 25 percent on their total software spend.