IBM strategies for 2009 to help businesses improve service, reduce costs, and manage risk
HONG KONG, March 17, 2009 – IBM (NYSE: IBM) retained the number one position in the Hong Kong overall server market and external storage market in revenue terms in 2008, according to the IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Enterprise Server Tracker1, and Disk Storage Systems Tracker2, Q4 2008. The results were announced at a briefing today, where IBM also unveiled its 2009 strategies to help enterprises implement dynamic infrastructure solutions to improve service, reduce costs, and manage risk. The strategies will help IBM's clients address today's challenges and capitalize on opportunities for growth in the economic downturn.
"In 2008, IBM evolved to a client-centric coverage model that enabled us to better serve our clients by shifting away from the commodity-like approach. This move ensures that our clients will benefit from cross-platform and high-value solutions," said Savio Ng, Executive, Systems and Technology Group, IBM China/Hong Kong Limited.
IBM's cross-platform solutions have enabled clients to run their business more efficiently, enjoy lower costs, and respond quickly to increasing market demands. In 2008, IBM helped Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited, the world's largest single air cargo terminal operator, to revamp its data storage infrastructure, enhancing the reliability and resilient capability of its IT systems and improving the company's ability to handle increasing tonnage capacity as its business grows. IBM also worked with Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN), a leading fixed telecommunications network operator, to implement an advanced and dynamic IT environment using virtualization and consolidation. This allowed HKBN to improve customer services, reduce costs, enhance application performance of its billing system by 50 percent, and achieve a 70 percent increase in subscribers for its subscription email service.
IBM's dynamic infrastructure strategy
IBM's strategies for 2009 focus on helping Hong Kong enterprises build a more dynamic infrastructure.
"Currently, many Hong Kong organizations are challenged to reduce costs, improve their services, and manage risk more effectively. Many are also held back by inflexible and costly infrastructure that cannot cope with the accelerating volume of data and transactions, and issues caused by the growing number of digitally aware devices," Mr. Ng said.
IBM's dynamic infrastructure strategy aims to address higher service expectations, rising cost pressures as well as new risks and threats, while laying a foundation for breakthrough productivity, accelerated value creation, and the increased velocity needed to achieve the faster pace demanded by today's business environment.
IBM's Systems and Technology Group will be helping Hong Kong enterprises build a more dynamic infrastructure through multiple initiatives. These include virtualization and consolidation strategies that enhance utilization and reduce operational costs and complexity, and information infrastructure solutions that address compliance regulations, provide information availability, efficiently retain information throughout its lifecycle, and build security and resiliency into the infrastructure.
"There is an urgent need for Hong Kong organizations to change and enhance their infrastructure in the current economic climate. We will be working with our clients to help them succeed with smarter and more dynamic infrastructure solutions that can address today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities," said Mr. Ng.
IBM maintains Hong Kong server market leadership in revenue terms
According to IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Enterprise Server Tracker1, IBM led the Hong Kong overall server market, capturing 44.6 percent revenue share in calendar year 2008, which was 18.6 percentage points higher than its nearest competitor.
Other server and storage market performance highlights of IBM in 2008 include:
- IBM led the non-x86 UNIX server market segment with 49.3 percent revenue share1,
- IBM maintained the number one position in the external disk storage market with 32.3 percent revenue share2
These results build on years of success. Other highlights include:
- Number one server vendor in revenues in Hong Kong for nine consecutive years (2000 to 2008) 1
- Number one Unix server vendor in revenues in Hong Kong for six consecutive years (2003 to 2008) 1
- Number one external disk storage vendor in revenues in Hong Kong for four consecutive years (2005 to 2008) 2
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1. Source: IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Enterprise Server Tracker, Q4 2008, February 2009
2. Source: IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker, Q4 2008, March 2009