IBM expands its capabilities around business analytics with plans to open a network of Analytics Solution Centers around the world, beginning with five in the second quarter of 2009.
These initial centers will be located in Tokyo, London, New York City, Beijing and Washington, D.C. As part of this initiative, IBM will retrain or hire as many as 4,000 new analytics consultants and professionals.
The centers will enable IBM to meet growing client demand for analytics capabilities as part of new, smarter business systems. Much of this demand is driven by new stimulus investments around the world in areas such as financial risk management, smart grids, electronic medical records and food tracking.
These clients are embedding new sensor technology into their processes in order to gather better performance and management data. Organizations are then leveraging new analytics capabilities to turn that data into predictive intelligence to help run new digital infrastructures more effectively and smarter.
The first three centers will sit in the world’s financial hubs — Tokyo, London and New York City. Staffed initially with more than 100 consultants and mathematicians each, these centers will serve clients seeking a deeper, system-level view of financial risk across markets as they pursue more predictive business outcomes in the new economic condition.
The IBM Analytics Solution Centers initially will be staffed with domain experts from across IBM. As demand grows, IBM will shift training investments to hire or retrain 4,000 high-skilled workers needed for these next-generation positions.
“Advanced analytics are increasingly essential to help companies and organizations confronted with vast amounts of data and systemic change, and who are looking to build smarter business systems,” says Samuel J. Palmisano, chairman, president and chief executive officer, IBM.
“All organizations today need to sort through myriad choices, make smarter decisions quickly and accurately, and act decisively. IBM is ready to help. Our unique expertise in R&D, software and consulting will be brought together in our new IBM Analytics Solution Centers — helping to make our clients’ businesses into smarter enterprises, and helping to create the jobs of the future.”
L.D.