IBM will emphasise its commitment to small- and
medium-sized companies (SMBs) when it unveils several
bundled products with the Express line of scaled-down server-based
applications at their core.
The offerings will include various combinations of server and
desktop hardware, server applications such as the Express versions
of WebSphere, DB2, Tivoli, Notes and, later this year, the Express
version of Content Manager, along with financing options.
The WebSphere Commerce Express bundle is aimed at SMBs trying to
create and manage an e-commerce site. Its easy-to-use installation
process will enable users to build an online store in less than an
hour, according to sources.
A second offering, called the IBM Wholesale Distribution
Solution for SAP Express, features a combination of software,
services, and hardware that facilitates quicker design, deployment
and participation in customers' supply chains.
The bundle is anchored by SAP's Business One line, which is
designed to help miedium-sized companies address a number of
"business process needs".
The Personal Computing Express portfolio is new within ThinkPad
notebooks, ThinkCenter desktops and ThinkVision monitors from IBM's
personal computing division.
IBM's Financing Express is a collection of finance offerings
from IBM Global Financing which gives medium-sized companies a
single line of credit under one contract and invoice, allowing them
to better finance various components.
Some analysts have welcomed the move by IBM, and said IBM has
shown it has thought through the needs and issues facing most SMBs,
rather than rushing ideas to market just to cash in on the momentum
building there over the past few years.
"I think [the Express series] looks solid. They really
approached it from the mindset of a medium-sized customer, looking
at what their needs might be. They have a really defined set of
criteria and characteristics that a product has to meet before
they'll put the Express brand on it," said John Madden, a senior
analyst with Summit Strategies.
The IBM announcement further fuels an already hot market where
several rivals, including Microsoft, have made major investments
over the past year or two. Some analysts' estimates put the overall
worth of the SMB market at $300bn (£181bn).
All of the Express-based products will be sold largely through
the company's network of solution providers and authorised
resellers as well as through the company's website.
Stacy Cowley writes for IDG News Service