Press kits

Water is a critical resource. Countries, cities, companies, utilities, farmers and people are wrestling with how to manage and make the most of it. The issues around water can be better understood and managed by collecting and analyzing of data. IBM is applying its expertise in smart systems and data analysis to help companies and governments effectively deal with these issues.

IBM is actively expanding its operations across Africa as part of the company's continued geographic expansion initiative of an increase its presence in key growth markets and support its global growth strategy.

The growing prevalence of chronic diseases and aging populations around the globe are placing a heavy burden on health systems. It’s no wonder that healthcare costs continue to rise rapidly and relentlessly worldwide. Increasingly healthcare is turning to digital information and electronic resources to enable greater access to care, to improve quality and reduce costs.

Mobile computing is at a turning point. This is now the second wave of the mobile revolution: the business of mobile. Just as the Internet transformed industries like banking, travel and healthcare – so too will mobile. In fact, over the next three to five years, the most cutting edge advances in mobile will not be in device itself, but instead what is done with it.

IBM's Research and Development labs, comprised of some of the world’s leading minds, are pushing the boundaries of science, technology and business to make the world work better. As the world gets smarter and IBM clients need to innovate rapidly, IBM’s technologists and scientists are advancing existing IBM products and services, while simultaneously pursuing the future.

The emergence of new smarter systems which are interconnected and streaming real time information are presenting business and governments with a unique opportunity to transform decision making. New opportunities to use this data to predict business outcomes, optimize old systems and spot trends before they happen are actually a reality. IBM new service line, IBM Business Analytics and Optimization Services will draw on the company’s deep expertise in vertical industries, research, mathematics and information management to help clients both improve the speed and quality of business decisions while better understanding the consequences and business outcomes of those decisions.

A bus, train or car to work. A bike to school. A plane for a business trip. Even if you don't leave your home, your life is still influenced by the transportation industry: virtually every tangible good – food, clothing, medicine, vehicles and computers – has been transported into your world from somewhere else. IBM has a long history in transportation and works with some of the most advanced operators of transportation networks around the world, from municipal governments to railway operators to airlines.

Since beginning work with clients and partners around cloud computing in 2007, IBM has been focused squarely on marking the model viable for enterprise and government clients -- clients that cannot compromise on security, compliance and availability. IBM's strategy for cloud is clear: We will build clouds for enterprise clients. We will provide cloud services where there are gaps we can fill. And we will collaborate with clients to create new opportunities to reach more of the market or extend their services leveraging cloud delivery.

Business Partners play a critical role in IBM's growth strategy and in further strengthening IBM's key initiatives and high value plays around Big Data analytics, cloud, mobile and social -- all tied to Smarter Planet. As IBM is committed to drive growth and profitability for Business Partners, we also providing the deep technical skills and expertise, with a global reach to enable Business Partners to reach new markets and new buyers to deliver an exceptional client experience.

IBM believes that innovation from the startup community is a critical component to building a smarter planet and strengthen new markets like cloud, mobile, big data and analytics. IBM SmartCamps engage and judge the best startup companies in different cities around the globe. At the events, IBM brings together local venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, professors and IT industry experts to provide advice to participating entrepreneurs. At the conclusion of the events, participants pitch their business to a panel of expert judges. The winners of the SmartCamp events receive mentoring, services, access to industry experts and deeper partnership opportunities from IBM, venture capital firms and industry partners. Winners also receive an invitation to participate in IBM’s SmartCamp Global Finals, where the IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year is named. The program has helped to launch more than 500 new businesses in key areas such as green energy, health care and transportation. Previous SmartCamp participants have together received $90 million in VC/Angel funding as a direct result of their participation in the program.

The IBM Power Systems family is comprised of a comprehensive series of servers, systems software and solutions featuring the latest IBM POWER7+ processor technology. Designed as the ultimate system for compute intensive workloads and ideally suited for big data and business analytics as well as cloud environments, Power provides capabilities to gain real time business insight and competitive advantage within a secure, flexible and scalable environment.

By adding a layer of intelligence, elements of a building including temperature, electricity, ventilation, water, waste management, telecommunications, and physical security can now be integrated for better management and control. Smarter, more sustainable buildings can quickly sense and respond at every system level possible.

From recognition to research to reviews, today's empowered consumers are in control. They are increasingly comfortable purchasing through multiple retail channels, but they want a truly integrated shopping experience. In response, retailers must provide consistency and convenience across every consumer touch point.

IBM inventors received a record 6,478 patents in 2012 for inventions that will enable fundamental advancements across key domains including analytics, Big Data, cybersecurity, cloud, mobile, social networking and software defined environments, as well as industry solutions for retail, banking, healthcare, and transportation. These patented inventions also will advance a major shift in computing, known as the era of cognitive systems.This is the 20th consecutive year that IBM topped the annual list of U.S. patent recipients.

Launched in 2006, IBM’s 5 in 5 has become a hallmark event as the calendar flips from one year to the next. Each December, IBM unveils the 5 in 5 -- five predictions about how technology innovations will change the way we work, live and play within the next five years. The 5 in 5 is based on market and societal trends, and the ideas come from the thousands of biologists, engineers, mathematicians and medical physicians in our Research labs around the world -- IBM has the world's largest industrial research organization.

Technology is now an integral part of any organization, across industries and job functions—from developers creating mobile applications to marketers using business analytics to gleam customer insight in the CMO's office. Whether it’s a student learning about how analytics is transforming the marketing industry or a developer learning new best practices to protect an application from the latest cyber security threats, the need for highly skilled individuals continues to grow. IBM is taking significant steps to help shrink the IT skills gap by offering resources for students, educators and IT practitioners in advanced technology areas such as business analytics, big data, commerce, mobile computing, cloud computing, social business and cyber security. The initiatives include new training courses and resources for IT professionals, training, technology and curriculum materials for faculty, and expanded programs to directly engage students with real-world business challenges.

Unimaginable complexity, combined with a lack of resources has created a situation in corporate IT globally where $2.5 Trillion – 70% of the global IT budget – is spent just making sure the status quo works. As a result, 1 in 5 projects never see the light of day and there is a backlog in IT of more than 18 months.

Smarter Commerce is a smarter way for companies to buy, sell and market their products by integrating operations and enhancing interactions through community, collaboration, process and analytics -- all within an industry context. The new category of Smarter Commerce is focused on helping companies swiftly adapt to rising customer demands in today's digitally transformed marketplace. IBM's new software and services offerings, supported by global sales and marketing resources, will address the spectrum of enterprise commerce activities -- new ways to buy, sell and secure greater customer loyalty in the era of mobile and social networks.

IBM brings business insight, advanced research and powerful technologies to the media and entertainment industry – adding intelligence and innovation to an industry undergoing a digital transformation. Serving all segments including film, music, publishing, advertising, broadcast, and media networks, IBM is helping media companies transform the customer experience

IBM is helping utilities add a layer of digital intelligence to their grids. These smart grids use sensors, meters, digital controls and analytic tools to automate, monitor and control the two-way flow of energy across operations—from power plant to plug. A power company can optimize grid performance, prevent outages, restore outages faster and allow consumers to manage energy usage right down to the individual networked appliance.