IBM Debuts New Collaborative Sales, Lead Generation and Go-to-Market Support for Electronics Industry

Power Architecture Momentum in Gaming, Digital Devices, Offers Growth Opportunities for Partners

LAS VEGAS, NV - 13 Mar 2006: At PartnerWorld 2006, IBM unveiled new collaborative sales, services and marketing support for Business Partners serving the electronics industry, including EDA, Design Services and IP companies that demonstrate compatibility with the Power Architecture. For the first time, IBM is equipping electronics vendors with a comprehensive set of resources -- including access to IBM’s sales experts to help close sales opportunities -- to help them sell more effectively in a wider range of industries and geographies.
Delivered through the PartnerWorld Industry Networks, IBM’s new, tailored go-to-market resources will assist a growing roster of companies capture growth in the booming consumer semiconductor industry, which IDC estimates to be a $30 billion market opportunity by 2009. These benefits will help vendors identify and capitalize on new opportunities with Power Architecture(TM), the industry’s leading technology for the rapidly growing consumer electronics, gaming, and digital device marketplace.
In addition to the resources delivered through the new PartnerWorld Electronics Industry Network, participating companies can also take advantage of the growing Power.org ecosystem. Power.org develops, enables and promotes Power Architecture technology as the preferred open standard hardware development platform for the Electronics industry. Power.org founder-level members include Cadence Design Systems, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Freescale Semiconductor, Jabil Circuit, Novell, P.A. Semi, Red Hat, Synopsys, and Thales Computers. For more details on Power.org visit the website www.power.org.
San Jose-based Cadence Design Systems has a broad longstanding alliance with IBM and is a member of the PartnerWorld Industry Networks for Electronics. "As a leader in the EDA industry, we have an established system of delivering essential technologies to electronics companies around the world" said Pankaj Mayor, group director of Business Development, Industry alliances at Cadence. "We look forward to continuing the design chain collaboration with IBM and leveraging IBM’s new structured go-to-market resources to enable customers in existing and new markets. We expect this increased collaboration to drive new synergies in business"
The move is a major step by IBM to boost the profitability and productivity of business partners who are building and selling Power-based technology solutions. As part of its $1 billion investment in joint sales and marketing activities delivered through the Industry Networks, IBM has employed proven tactics to increase business partner visibility and opportunity in the marketplace. By leveraging IBM’s direct mail, telemarketing and advertising resources, business partners have reported lead generation rates of up to four times the industry average. IBM’s new resources are designed to strengthen the market demand for, and adoption of, business partner solutions built on Power architecture.
Growing Adoption of Power Architecture
In 2005, IBM won the ’Triple Crown’ of the gaming world, with Power-based microchips selected as the heartbeat of next generation gaming and entertainment systems from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. IBM’s revolutionary ’Cell’ microprocessor, jointly developed with Sony and Toshiba, has been described by many as a ’supercomputer on a chip,’ and will power Sony’s next generation PlayStation 3, which is expected to be introduced by Sony later this year.
"As the industry moves toward collaborative technology innovation to gain competitive advantage, the emergence of the Power Architecture as the processor of choice for the gaming and embedded markets offers our partners one of the most promising growth opportunities in technology" said Nigel Beck, vice president, Technology Marketing, IBM. "The Power Architecture has firmly established its leadership in the post-PC world and IBM’s partners are well positioned to share in its success"
Power Architecture microprocessors serve as the electronic brain inside digital devices large and small, from game consoles and sophisticated automotive power-train and telematics, to wireless routers, and the world’s fastest supercomputers.
Gaining Customer Marketshare
Today’s news builds on IBM’s commitment to offering the broadest range of hardware, software and services resources to help business partners build innovative solutions, generate customer demand and expand their market presence. The PartnerWorld Industry Networks provide business partners with unmatched go-to-market sales support and technical resources that are specifically tailored to their industry requirements. Highlights of the networks include:
Access to IBM’s worldwide sales network to help close business deals. IBM Sales Connections connects a qualified business partners working an active sales opportunity with an IBM sales team or business partner that can best help to close the deal. In just a few easy steps, partners can submit an online request form that includes information on the sales opportunity, prospective customer and the benefits of the joint solution.
Financial support for marketing campaigns to help partners generate new business opportunities and leads. Business Partners can access professional marketing support and pre-negotiated rates to run effective marketing campaigns that generate increased awareness and sales leads.
Worldwide access to new virtual workshops on Power Architecture through the IBM Virtual Innovation Center. Developers can access these workshops online and complete the courses at their own pace.
IBM announced that PartnerWorld Industry Networks members will have access to IBM’s Research division in the second quarter. This allows for even closer technical collaboration between IBM and its partners.
Since launching the PartnerWorld Industry Networks program less than two years ago, more than 6,000 partners have joined the program and have successfully marketed and sold their solutions with IBM.
IBM has networks covering 14 industries across 60 countries in the banking, financial markets, healthcare, life sciences, retail, and telecommunications industries to bring joint solutions to market faster, industry-by-industry, reflecting how customers are buying technology today.
Promoting Collaborative Innovation
Today’s program is among the first in an emerging partner strategy from the new Technology Collaboration Solutions organization, designed to take advantage of the fast-growing, multi-billion dollar "collaborative innovation" market opportunity, where companies in all industries are recognizing that innovation in R&D is crucial to business growth and that increasingly companies must collaborate with other partners to achieve the new level of innovation required for success.
About PartnerWorld Industry Networks
The IBM PartnerWorld Industry Networks provide IBM business partners with comprehensive business insight, technical resources, networking opportunities, and marketing and sales support designed to help them reach more customers and close deals faster. Participants in the Industry Networks can team with IBM to bring on demand solutions to market more easily and to ensure these solutions meet specific industry needs, reflecting how customers buy technology today.
Companies can sign up for PartnerWorld Industry Networks at www.ibm.com/partnerworld/industrynetworks
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About IBM
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com. For more information on partnering with IBM, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld.

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