Arcserve CEO Stepping Down Next Week, Chairman To Serve As Interim CEO

Arcserve CEO Mike Crest is leaving the company to pursue "another growth opportunity," the company announced on Friday.

The resignation of Crest (pictured), who has been CEO since Arcserve was spun out of CA Technologies in 2014, is effective on September 8, after which the Minneapolis-based company's Chairman Dave Hansen will take over as interim CEO.

Arcserve is already looking for a permanent replacement for Crest, the company said.

[Related: Arcserve Acquires Zetta, Looks To Be Comprehensive Cloud Data Protection Vendor]

Neither Crest nor any other Arcserve spokespeople were available to provide more details on a company press release.

In a prepared statement, Hansen said, "Mike was a tremendous asset in laying the foundation for our robust future, and we understand his decision to pursue another growth opportunity."

Crest, in a prepared statement, said it was an "enormous privilege" to lead Arcserve as it grew from a start-up into a major data protection vendor. "The company is founded on the principles of empowering businesses through the best backup and availability technology, and it will undoubtedly enjoy continued success," he said.

Before joining Arcserve, Crest spent nearly four years as the senior vice president and general manager for CA Technologies data management business. In total, Crest spent 14 years in executive positions at CA. Hanson, in addition to his role as Arcserve chairman, is also an operating executive at Marlin Equity Partners. Arcserve's spin-out from CA resulted when Marlin bought Arcserve for an undisclosed sum.

Arcserve has been doing a good job with its products and with its channel partners in its three years as an independent company, said Chuck Iten, western regional director at Productive, a Minneapolis-based solution provider and long-time Arcserve channel partner.

"We're up on Arcserve sales," Iten told CRN. "The company's Arcserve UDP data protection appliance is strong. New customers like it and a lot of legacy Arcserve partners are adopting it."

In its new leader, Arcserve will need to find someone who can continue the positive channel relationships that Crest started, partners said.

"Overall, I would say the channel relationships are a lot stronger now than when Arcserve was a part of CA," Productive's Iten said. "We're now seeing some employee turnover, and so we will be looking for signs of stability from Arcserve. But overall, I've got nothing but good to say about the company."