The satellite center, dubbed the Services Innovation and Research Center, will initially bring together research specialists in computer and software fields, as well as IT service areas, who will work in conjunction with IBM GS.
The group will explore ways to improve the mechanisms, strategies, and management tools around much of IBM’s service offerings, concentrating on the lower-end IT outsourcing services that face intense market competitions and have been largely commoditized, according to Bill O’Leary, director of media relations for IBM Research. More efficient delivery could give the company an important pricing edge in this market, he said.
O’Leary said that IBM’s global research centers have for years conducted research into the delivery of these lower-value IT outsourcing and the more premium consulting services. Adding new research projects in areas such as China and India helps better establish IBM’s presence in these booming local markets and also capitalizes on the remarkable skill base in these sites, O’Leary added.
