IBM has announced that it is planning to invest $100m over the next five years in research that aims to advance mobile services and capabilities for businesses and consumers.
According to IBM, its three areas of research investment are – mobile enterprise enablement, emerging market mobility, and enterprise end-user mobile experiences. It will concentrate on analytics, security, privacy and user interface, and navigation across the research.
IBM has provided a range of possibilities of mobility in a pilot performed by the company, which used a technology named ‘BlueStar’ to develop automated mobile devices and application management services for insurance claims processing.
The company has paired its scientists with clients to explore how emerging technologies help to solve real world business problems.
The BlueStar pilot demonstrated how to deploy and manage mobile devices and applications to enterprise field workers.
IBM claimed that the enterprise mobility will allow people to monitor the energy consumption of its workplace and home, research thoroughly and pay conveniently for purchases and stay in touch with social and professional networks.
Dr. Guruduth Banavar, global leader of the mobile communications focus for IBM Research and director of IBM Research in India, said: Mobile devices are gradually becoming ubiquitous and helping us transcend many boundaries – geographical, economic, and social, among others. With high penetration, simple user interface, and significant cost advantage for end users, mobile telephony holds the future of communication and exchange of information for the enterprise.
Paul Bloom, chief technologist for IBM Telecom Research, said: Mobility and the associated analytics will change virtually every enterprise business process. It will change the relationship between enterprises and their customers, their employees and their partners, enabling them to do business in more intelligent, efficient ways.
