IBM Aims to Simplify IT Delivery for SMB Customers

IBM Aims to Simplify IT Delivery for SMB Customers
New Initiative Offers Web 2.0 Platform -- and a New Choice -- for Software and Solution Firms



LOS ANGELES & IBM Business Partner Leadership Conference - 01 May 2008: -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced new software and unveiled for the first time a broad initiative to combine hardware, software and services to tackle the cost and complexity of IT for small and medium businesses. The new, strategic initiative -- code-named the "Blue Business Platform" -- aims to provide a new and compelling choice to simplify IT delivery for companies that lack the time and resources to manage computer systems. The initiative, which is part of IBM's ongoing plans to aggressively target its largest opportunity for growth in the $500 billion SMB marketplace, is focused on enabling thousands of software and solution providers to dramatically accelerate the adoption and simplify the management of their business applications on IBM systems.
This new, open platform, which will be piloted and delivered in the coming months, will offer software and solution providers access to new customers on a global scale and reduce the high costs of new client acquisition, technology integration and support.

Rippe & Kingston, a Premier IBM Business Partner and LANSA are ready to support the announcements.