The Dozen 2004IBM Corp.Armonk, N.Y."Technology unto itself is not enough," declared IBM's chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano at a November 2003 presentation. Neither are competitive differences, as was evident when senior vice president and Software Group executive Steve Mills joined Microsoft's Bill Gates on a New York City stage to express common interest in promoting Web services. All smiles, they demonstrated how an automotive manufacturer could work more efficiently and effectively with Web services. And then they returned to their familiar battlements. While the company's R&D riches continue to spill forth amazing technology, customers are in no mood for wizardry for its own sake. In fact, judging by its ad campaign, IBM believes that customers would rather not see it at all. Palmisano is determined that IBM must use whatever means are necessary to exert leadership in defining demand, even if that means embracing its staunch competitor. IBM's Global Services does most of this sort of heavy lifting, but the beyond-technology imperative now extends into product divisions, such as the Software Group. WebSphere has become the anchor of several vertical industry solutions; and DB2 Content Management is making a strong push to meet corporate governance and compliance demands. As the old saying goes, "no one ever got fired for choosing IBM." And so it is still: When IBM endorses intelligent new ways of doing business, the world listens.
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