IBM Goes Mobile
Big Blue announces MobileFirst, a major mobile initiative involving software, services and partnerships with other large vendors.
I
t seems the time has come for IBM to get involved in the mobile space.
A Broad Portfolio of Mobile Solutions IBM’s mobile solutions portfolio provides the key elements of an application and data platform with the management, security and analytics capabilities needed for the enterprise. In addition to meeting mobile-specific requirements, the portfolio provides for rapid integration between social and cloud services as well as back-end technologies that help secure and manage strategic business processes. A Deep Set of Mobile Services for Clients Enterprises are embracing the mobile revolution at a rapid pace. IBM has thousands of mobile experts to help clients understand how industries will be transformed in a mobile world, based on client engagements across more than a dozen industries. The IBM MobileFirst portfolio features several services to help clients establish mobile strategies, design and implement mobile projects. An Expansive Set of Mobile Resources and Programs for Business Partners, Developers and Academics According to IBM’s recent Tech Trends Report, only one in 10 organisations has the skills needed to effectively apply advanced technologies such as mobile computing. To help overcome this skills gap, IBM is rolling out a series of resources to help its ecosystem of developers, partners and academics tap into the mobile opportunity and augment existing skills or develop new ones. To learn more, visit http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst. You can also follow @ibmmobile, #ibmmobile on Twitter, and see IBM MobileFirst on YouTube, Tumblr and Instagram.
Mobile technologies, which are usually cheaper than conventional computers, are expected to be the way billions of people in poorer nations will come online in the next few years, and are a lure which IBM has finally found too tempting to resist any longer. The company (and its customers) have realised that mobile is changing the game in terms of how customers expect to interact with businesses, and to this end, thousands of employees have been trained in mobile technologies, I.B.M. says. Furthermore, millions will be spent on research and acquisitions in coming years. “Mobile is the next big growth play that I.B.M. is going after,” said Michael J. Riegel, the head of mobile strategy. Quoted in the New York Times, he said IBM had made 10 mobile-related acquisitions already, and would have a global research and development team of 160 people dedicated to mobile technology. In 2012 alone, he said, I.B.M. won 125 patents related to mobile. Riegel also enthused about the mobile industry on his blog (http://mikeriegel.wordpress.com) saying “In all my travels to talk with clients and experts over the past thirty days, one thing is abundantly clear – mobile is the hottest topic in the industry – more so than even cloud, security or social (and yes, they all do fit together as well.) What makes mobile such a hot topic is this – it’s deeply personal, we can all relate to it and have experience with it, and everyone admits we’re just scratching the surface of it.” The strategy pulls together a raft of IBM products and services, some recently acquired, under a new umbrella brand: MobileFirst. MobileFirst aims be a comprehensive mobile portfolio that combines security, analytics and app development software, with cloud-based services and deep mobile expertise. Using IBM MobileFirst solutions, businesses will be able to streamline everything from the management of employee mobile devices, to the creation of a new mobile commerce app that will transform their entire business model. IBM MobileFirst includes:
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