IBM Strategy

I think that this article says something that is very important for us in the IBM Lotus-related services business to understand. I'm not really able to say whether or not the article's conclusions are really true, but that's not what's really important. I believe that IBM believes that the conclusions are true, and if you look at it in this light it explains quite a lot about what is shaping IBM's strategy.

If IBM believes that adoption of Web Services will cut into their huge systems integration services revenue, but simultaneously create a stronger market for architectural and business process service revenues, then it makes perfect ense that IBM would be doing certain things. First, they should be re-shaping their services business to match the shape of the future services market, and the acquisition of PwC Consulting shows that they are doing this. Second, they should be setting themselves up as the leader in Web Services software tools and hardware platforms, and it's just plain obvious that they've been doing everything possible to do this for a couple of years now. Third, and this is the significant part, they should be trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy (making the services market more like to go the way they think it will go anyway) by driving their installed base toward Web Services... and that, IMHO, is pretty clearly what they are aiming to do with the Notes and Domino installed base.