Because in its field IBM is the oldest large

Can overweight serve as a strategy Waist in any case seriously influence the choices that can be done. The flying trapeze is for some, of shot for the other. As the said Voltaire, "men are like animals, large eat small and small bite." It companies, and in particular in the computer, short-cycling sector to assist in accelerated in the parade of the Gallery of evolution. Seen again this week with the fight around the acquisition of the famous California constructor Sun, which turned to the advantage of Oracle, to the detriment of IBM.

Regardless, Big Blue, as were dubbed New York giant, always looked high these West Coast parvenus who come regularly challenging its supremacy. Because, in its field, IBM is the oldest large. Born almost a hundred years ago, the Group has always preferred big business small: Census of population, the management of major projects, equipment for banks and now major infrastructure. The size, for the coup, has at least two advantages. On the one hand, it away from potential competitors by building, as the empires of the past, strong barriers to entry for competitors barbarians. On the other hand, a good cake to absorb shocks and strategic mistakes which are sinking small. Mammoths like General Motors can accumulate losses and mistakes for years and be always present.

But, of course, the big move less quickly, and when environmental change, the benefit is generally small. This was the case in the early 1990: the advent of computer decentralized, with the mini and microcomputers and the explosion of the number of skilled competitors then undermined the IBM philosophy, which was totally based on horizontal integration all products and vertical all components of the string. The relief of the group, raised by Louis Gerstner in 1991 and continued by Sam Palmisano from 2002, was to break these chains by stopping to sell all computer products of the Earth, but keeping the philosophy of the "solution", combining hardware, software and services. Simply, leading equipment has become marginal, not representative now more than 20 of the revenues of the firm, against 60 for services. With at each time as thread the added value that can draw the firm and the withdrawal of too commoditized activities.

This development history, dictated by the circumstances by a deliberate willingness did IBM animal atypical, both this everywhere, but selectively, face more "vertical", players either hardware (Dell, HP), or, Oracle, SAP, software or service (Accenture, Capgemini). But, last year, Hewlett-Packard has developed hands on EDS, one of the largest companies of computer services in the world. At the time, HP, California not only walked on his big brother is broken, but is increasingly paying the luxury of the exceed in terms of turnover, overtaking first IBM of its position as number one world computer. And, today, it is Oracle just stimulate the giant of Armonk.

It is likely that this movement of convergence will continue. Why Because, as analyzed it Sam Palmisano since not bad years, growth in computing homes are to move within two strong trends that the crisis is that accelerate: the computer network and the complexity of the systems.

The Internet has sounded the death knell of the era of the PC and decentralized computing more generally. Computers leave offices and returned to the factory, of gigantic specialized warehouses full of computers. Google has installed tens in the world. A movement comparable to that of electricity in the early 20th century. Over the development needs and the implementation of efficient networks, production is centralized for efficiency reasons. The Internet is the first event, but talking now to provide the services client of software, online and paid as a service and as a product that one possesses. Google provides the word processing or spreadsheets online and for businesses, the Salesforce Publisher invoice services client management software to more than 50,000 companies in the world. Everyone does not convert to this virtualization of computing, but it is one of the few sectors still growing.

The rise of networks and centralized comes indeed mirror of a considerable spread of connected computer sensors. The best known is the smart mobile phone, but soon all objects will be equipped to interact with their counterparts from fridge to the machine tool via locomotives or scanners of hospital. All of this through networks like Internet and managed by computers and still more powerful software. This growing complexity of the technology is supposed to meet the challenges of demography, development and the environment. IBM has thus targeted four areas particularly greedy computer: finance, energy (and environment), health (and food) and transportation. It is for this reason it is reinforced in the Council, with the acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and in the software or services with the purchase of a hundred other companies. Will the crisis slow or even stop this tide Not sure, it is even rather that just might happen. Regulatory fever overtakes the Governments, to monitor the finance, offenders or the quality of the water and yoghurt is a great consumer of centralized computing power.

It is for these reasons that the current future is rather the giants that will include major contracts in the direction of Governments, banks and infrastructure managers, while industries, they slow down computer purchases. Accompany the complexity of the world is the new mission sacred IBM and its followers. But this, to be powerful, to be present in the world, rich, to invest heavily in major computer and famous centres for confidence to customers also reluctant than the Chinese Government or the Bulgarian authorities. Being large, rich and famous, it is the job of IBM in short. What still can ask The only thing that lacks a strong presence in the management software. And the ideal candidate in this area is called SAP, the only European of the Court of the major of computer science. A sacred piece. This is the problem of large, when they start to eat, can no longer stop and it is when it becomes obese that troubles begin.