Stories by: Ann Bednarz and Julie Bort

From the corporate boardroom to the enterprise data center, the 50 men and women on this list exercise power within the network industry to one degree or another. Some have the clout to sway the world's technology decisions, while others command attention within vertical industries, particular market segments or simply -- though not inconsequentially -- within their own organizational domains. We have ranked each of our 2004 power-brokers based on such stature, as well as on the person's visibility and the ways in which the person functions as a role model. To see how these 50 fit together, we've aligned them by category as well, from the titans to the standards-setters.