IBM and Radical Simplicity? Real Change for Big Blue’s Mid-Market Strategy

Observations form the IBM Influence Summit – Greenwich, CT (Nov 5-6)

Beth Vanni

Can it really be true? More than five IBM executives sharing a common vision of the mid-market opportunity? Everyone’s slides truly aligned on the their view of the market and how they’re investing? Multiple real-life examples of IBM acting in a highly personalized, solutions oriented way with small to mid-size businesses? A common fervor across the business units and geographies for becoming “radically simple” to do business with?  I could almost not believe my ears!

Yes, we’ve heard it before as a statement of intent. For years. And, no doubt, IBM has had many initiatives in the past focused on the non-enterprise markets. In fact, at this past Spring’s Leadership Conference in Los Angeles, Rich Hume, then two days in the job as GM of the company’s business partner community, declared his plan to apply significant resources to partner engagement in the mid-market.  At the same event, the Lotus Foundations bundle was announced as well.  But, as I sat at the IBM Influence Event in Greenwich, Connecticut, two things hit me right between the eyes: IBM has been really listening to customer and partners and they’ve got new fire in the belly about how to succeed in the mid-market and growth markets.