Into the Networked Age: How IBM and Other Firms are Getting There Now

In this dynamic book, based on the most effective strategies of IBM and other market leaders, managers will learn to successfully transform their organizations into a business prepared to compete in a networked age. Mainframes, client servers, PCs, networks, e-business, the Internet, databases, technical management--indeed, in the brave new business world facing today's firms only one thing is certain: change. And when looking for a model for corporate change, one should look no further than IBM. In this decade, IBM has gone from a company with less than $60 billion in unprofitable revenue to a highly profitable $85 billion-plus enterprise. In a company whose major source of revenue was once hardware, services now account for more than a third of its revenue. IBM Global Services, only seven years old and $25 billion strong, draws most of its revenue from helping businesses to do successfully what IBM has done: transform themselves. In five down-to-earth sections, the authors share their vast experience, apply case studies, chart trends and describe in-depth the practices that allowed IBM to transform itself, and to show the way for other firms. The result is an essential handbook for anyone charged with leading their firm in an economy that is global, increasingly reliant on information systems, and teeming with rapidly emerging markets--and competitors. Written by a staff of experts and renowned business thinkers, Into the Networked Age is today's ultimate guide for success in tomorrow's business world.