Editor's Note: Innovators And Influencers Manage In Tough TimesEditor's Note: Innovators And Influencers Manage In Tough Times

Think the best thing to do in the post-Sept. 11 business world is to stockpile inventory in the event that supply chains are once again slowed by border closings or restrictions on air travel? First see what Gene Tyndall, executive VP of global markets and E-commerce for Ryder System, has to say.

Think the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act will resolve patient privacy issues once and for all? See what Dr. Paul Tang, chief medical information officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, is concerned about and what he's advocating.

Think all budding young entrepreneurs were swept into a corner with the failed dot-coms? See how 34-year-old Peter Thiel is keeping his online payments company, PayPal, standing strong against some weighty competitors in the financial biz, and how 28-year old Christopher Klaus is trying to not only identify and block security threats, but to help create ways for systems to heal themselves, much like a human immune system protects the body.

Think Microsoft has taken over the software world and no small, innovative company would have the guts to take on the formidable giant? Find out what Michael Robertson hopes to accomplish with his new company, Lindows.com.

Think you'd want to lead a $300 million IT project that has a life span of only 17 days? For David Busser, it will be "the experience of a lifetime." That's assuming, of course, the IT infrastructure he's building for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games works flawlessly. Find out what his plan is.

Think I'm asking too many questions? Maybe... read about these and other innovators and influencers profiled in this issue. Some of them you've probably heard of; others you'll be introduced to. You'll find that they're bold, that they're managing through adversity and a tough economic climate--and that a lot of people are taking notice.

OK, one more question: Think you should halt collaborative business efforts in order to focus your attention on securing corporate systems? No way, say Cigna, DaimlerChrysler, Ingersoll-Rand, Johnson Controls, and other companies that are accelerating their collaborative efforts to improve customer relationships, drive costs out of the supply chain, get products to market faster, and boost revenue. See "Collaboration's Still Kicking" for senior writer Steve Konicki and Marianne Kolbasuk McGee's story on the impact of terrorism on collaborative business.

Happy holidays. We'll see you again on Jan. 7, 2002.

STEPHANIE STAHL
Editor
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