The era of the one-size-fits-all product comes to an end
Remember when you needed more than a pocket to carry a camera, maps to everywhere and enough music to start your own radio station? Now, it's all in your smart phone, taking up less space than a deck of cards... which the phone can also carry, virtually. Screen a movie, deposit a check by transmitting its picture, accept credit card transactions, do nearly anything on the Internet that a netbook does at four times the size—a smart phone can handle it.
And that's only your phone. Think about how many instrumented, intelligent, interconnected products you interact with and rely on every day.
Innovate or fall behind
From automobiles to military fighter jets to artificial hearts, today's smarter products represent a new generation of capabilities that fuse software, sensors, actuators, electronics and mechanical systems.
Behind each smarter product, you'll find developers, engineers, suppliers and partners. Software engineering has taken a major role alongside electrical and mechanical engineering, now that more than two-thirds of manufacturers include embedded systems in their products. As customers demand customized, personalized, unique experiences, software drives the innovation.
Yet according to the 2011 IBM Global CIO Study, companies cite innovation as a top priority but recognize the inherent complexity behind it—and many don't feel prepared to handle it.
In fact, eight out of ten CEOs anticipate increased complexity ahead; only half say they are prepared to handle it. The difference between success and failure resides in mastering the design, development and management of these products and their related systems throughout their life cycle.
Product development solutions
As a leader in product lifecycle management (PLM), IBM offers the industry expertise, solutions, and secure and scalable infrastructure to provide unique business value through PLM integration, collaboration and technology.
IBM solutions for insight and product innovation are helping product development companies design, deliver and manage smarter products with a focus on the four core client priorities:
- Business planning and transformation
- Product and systems development
- Life cycle collaboration
- Product support
Meet the experts
Bruce Powel Douglass,
Chief Evangelist, IBM Rational
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About Bruce
Bruce has specialized in development of real-time and embedded systems and software for more than 30 years. Read more.
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Connect with Bruce
Learn the latest ideas and insights
Four key strategies for enabling Innovation in the age of smart
Download the white paper (458 KB)
Insight and product innovation: design, deliver and manage smarter products
Download the executive brief (280 KB)
Creating smarter products with IBM Rational systems and software engineering
Building Smarter Products with Insight and Product Innovation