IBM LAUNCHES MAJOR E-BUSINESS INITIATIVE EMPHASIZING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
IBM launched a major e-business initiative recently spearheaded by a $30 million integrated marketing campaign and backed by numerous product announcements from across the corporation.
The worldwide initiative, which establishes business intelligence (BI) as the next major wave of e-business, also includes:
BI is the fastest growing segment of the enterprise IT sector; it's growing more than 50 percent a year on average and is expected to reach $113 billion by 2002, according to the BI/DW Research Program at Survey.com (formerly World Research Inc.).
Business intelligence is the gathering, management, and analysis of large amounts of raw data on a company's customers, products and services, and all the transactions in between. BI solutions combine server and storage hardware, database software, analysis tools and consulting services. Marketers, business executives, strategists, salespeople, financial analysts, and customer service managers across all industries prize the results of analyzed data, which reveals what products and services to sell, to whom, how, and when. This information helps companies boost speed to market, gain market share, pursue closer customer relationships, improve margins, and reduce costs.
The new global marketing campaign consists of strategic and brand print, TV, radio and Web site advertisements, a special BI Web site, direct mail, and business partner education, as well as new programs and services.
The campaign emphasizes IBM's expertise of working with customers to determine the best technology solution for a specific business problem. It features real-life BI examples from customers as diverse as L.L. Bean, Kiwi Brands, and the National Basketball Association.
"IBM's mantra these days is 'Do what's right for the customer'," said Wayne Eckerson, an analyst for Patricia Seybold Group, in his recent report, IBM Leads the Pack: Big Blue Has Discovered a Winning Formula for Business Intelligence. "From a practical perspective, this means that IBM is working customer accounts from the outside in, preferably leading with professional services to assess customers' requirements before selling products."
"The fact that IBM has designated BI as the next wave of its high-profile e-business campaign means that it recognizes BI as a very lucrative and major market opportunity," said Ben Barnes, general manager, IBM Global Business Intelligence Solutions. "Customers want these sophisticated technologies to be integrated and optimized. This speeds implementation, lowers risk, guarantees high quality at lower coast, and provides quick return on investment."
"IBM's future in business intelligence looks promising," said Eckerson in his report. "Because IBM plays in so many diverse areas of business intelligence, it has the potential to easily create custom and packaged solutions that leverage its consulting experience, products, technologies, and partner relationships."
The new integrated IBM BI portfolio being unveiled recently comprises many elements. All offerings will be available worldwide by the end of October.
BI Solution - Fast Start - This new program delivers complete BI solutions for small and medium businesses, enabling them to build and manage relationships with customers while continuing to grow their enterprise. Priced from $60,000.
Services Offerings -
Three new industry-specific BI services offerings from IBM Global Services help companies create high-quality customized relationship marketing solutions based on IBM intellectual capital and methodologies. These new services join the existing portfolio of BI services introduced by Global Services in June.
Data Management
Servers
IBM Global Financing
(a) Other rates available based on credit ratings, terms and options. Offer may be withdrawn or modified without notice. Other restrictions may apply.
More information on IBM's BI portfolio can be found on the IBM Business Intelligence home page at http://www.ibm.com/solutions/businessintelligence.