![]() Not surprisingly, everyone from Hewlett-Packard (HWP) to storage giant EMC is trying to copy IBM's services-and-software strategy. And while software - now almost entirely open-standards-compatible - accounted for just 15 percent of IBM's revenues in 2001, it contributed a third of gross profits. Last June, IBM's revenues from services such as systems integration, product support, consulting, and website hosting surpassed computer hardware revenues for the first time in the company's 91-year history. ![]() They fuel the explosion of IBM's services business by making it easier for IBM consultants to stitch together varied hardware and software systems. In fact, open-standards technologies are powering many of the most remarked-upon aspects of IBM's resurgence under Gerstner. Open source and open standards played an important role in this decision. IBM, for all its talk of e-business, didn't even count eBay as a customer. Sun chief Scott McNealy was calling Whitman too. ![]() BEA was teamed up with Sun Microsystems (SUNW), another IBM rival with long-standing ties to eBay. BEA Systems (BEAS) - the market leader in the Web application server software that eBay was looking for - was also in there pitching. Microsoft (MSFT) already provided eBay with key technologies, and CEO Steve Ballmer was constantly on the phone to eBay boss Meg Whitman, pleading his company's case and dangling the possibility of free ads and promotions on Microsoft's MSN network. ![]() Last summer Web auctioneer eBay (EBAY) kicked off a ferocious bidding war for the contract to provide software to power the next version of its website. It was one of the most high-profile technology deals to come up for grabs in years, and IBM didn't seem to stand a chance. It appears that eBay has chosen IBM as it's next eCommerce technology partner. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |