Dr. Donald Ferguson (born 1960) is the CTO of CA, Inc., formerly known as Computer Associates. He graduated with a PhD in computer science from Columbia University in 1989. His thesis studied the application of economic models to the management of system resources in distributed systems.
From 1985 to 2007, Ferguson worked for IBM, becoming an IBM Fellow in 2001, and Chief Architect for IBM's Software Group (SWG). He provided overall technical leadership for IBM WebSphere, Tivoli Software, DB2, Rational Software and Lotus Software products. He also chaired the SWG Architecture Board (SWG AB). The SWG AB focused on product integration, cross-product initiatives and emerging technology. Some of the public focus areas were web services, patterns, Web 2.0 and business-driven development. Ferguson guided IBM’s strategy and architecture for SOA and Web services, and co-authored many of the initial Web service specifications.
Previously, he had been the Chief Architect for WebSphere and the WebSphere products, which provide support for dynamic Web applications. Prior to transferring to IBM SWG, Ferguson was a Research Staff Member in the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center.
Microsoft
From 2007 to 2008, he worked at Microsoft for one year as a Technical fellow in Platforms and Strategy, in the Office of the CTO.
CA
Don joined CA in March 2008. CA announced on Sept 29, 2009 that Don has become CA's Chief Technology Officer.
ChannelWeb named Ferguson one of "25 Technology Thought Leaders For 2010."
Web Services Platform Architecture: SOAP, WSDL, WS-Policy, WS-Addressing, WS-BPEL, WS-Reliable Messaging, and More, Prentice Hall PTR, ISBN 0-131-48874-0 , March 22, 2005