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A business consists of processes: processes to obtain the materials
and people needed to create products and services for the business'
customers, internal processes to manage finance, production, and
all other aspects of the business, and processes to bring its goods
and services to market. Businesses rely on strong processes to ensure
that they can provide consistent products and services to their
customers as well as critical internal services such as training,
benefits, and salary payments to employees.
Improving business has always been about improving processes. An
additional dimension in today's globalized economy is to understand
which processes are core to a business and that differentiate a
company from its competitors, and to focus on optimizing these processes.
On the other hand, processes that are less critical or that have
been commoditized are often examined as candidates for outsourcing;
in many cases they can be implemented more efficiently by another
company that has a specialized focus.
Our objective in the business process transformation area is to
support IBM's software and services businesses as they relate to
helping our customers improve their business processes. On the software
side, this means providing industry-leading technology to IBM's
software products (including the WebSphere and Rational brands)
that help customers understand, document, monitor, and manage their
business processes and drive the development of IT systems to implement
them (e.g., using SOA and other advanced technologies). On the services
side, this means helping customers exploit the available software
systems and other advanced technology to improve their processes
fundamentally.
In addition to our algorithmic and software-focused work that can
be used to help companies independent of their area of business,
we are also looking at how specific emerging technologies, such
as in the mobile and security areas, can be used to fundamentally
improve the way businesses operate in specific industries. For example,
we can help the medical profession and patients by enabling easy
and accurate monitoring of patients at home. This improves the quality
of life for patients while at the same time lowering costs for the
already burdened health care system. We can also fundamentally change
shipping and logistics by providing accurate, up-to-date information
concerning the location and virtually any other property of goods
as they move from the manufacturer to retail outlets. Access to
valuable information can improve the efficiency, security, and many
other aspects of the overall value chain.
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