How Smarter Industries Work

Customers in every industry are feeling the pressure to respond in real time to whatever the day brings — a change in supply or demand; a shift in the preferences of buyers; the vagaries of capital markets; an explosion of information; and a web disconnected systems and processes.

IBM's strategy is to approach clients with a clear understanding of their needs, demonstrating that it has the expertise and technologies specific to their business.

First IBM asks: What are they trying to accomplish within their industries? Then IBM looks at how its different technologies and solutions can be used to meet those needs.

The dynamics of the healthcare sector are not the same as those facing financial services companies.

The issues confronting major retailers are different from those faced by clients in energy, government and transportation.

Simply put, different industries are diverse in nature and needs but all require solutions that provide them with a smarter and more efficient way of doing business.

For example, smarter healthcare means researchers can look at data sideways, crossways and upside down through analytics; doctors can make better treatment decisions; and patients can interact with all their caregivers online.

Smarter government means automating data sharing among all the different employees and departments, so that every employee gets a single version of the truth.

Smarter transportation means rail systems are instrumented with wireless sensors, meters, and cameras that can measure and see the exact condition of a train wheel bearing, or metalfatigue on a bridge.

Smarter energy means using sensors, meters, digital controls and analytics to automate, monitor and control the two-way flow of energy across operations — from power plant to plug.

Smarter retail means using analytics to create a precise portrait of your customers — their wants, needs, and buying patterns.

And smarter telecom means banking on the fly, an office wherever you go, and communication that isn't just about people talking to people, but devices talking to each other.

To help organizations apply technology more easily to their industry, IBM has created industry frameworks — collections of industry-specific middleware, design patterns and other assets that have been proven to perform well in client engagements.

A framework is like a supporting structure around which something can be built. Like building blocks, they enable teams to put into practice technologies that their colleagues can reuse throughout the enterprise.

The goal is to create complete solutions and make it easy for clients to tackle all the critical things on their plates.

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