IBM 2007 Annual Report Download - page 3

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1
IBM is a different company today. To understand
why, let me briefly describe how we got to our
present position.
At the beginning of the decade, all of us in
the information technology industry
—
indeed,
in all of business
—
were confronted with funda-
mental changes: the reality of global integration,
a new computing model and new ways for
businesses and institutions to apply technology
to create value.
It was clear that we had to change
—
and not only to capture
future opportunities. The fact is, if we had stayed still, the company’s
competitiveness would have been at risk. So we made important
decisions, and got to work.
Global integration: As the decade began, we observed
the accelerating integration of global economies, and with it the
emergence of two important
—
I would say historic
—
opportunities.
We had a chance to capture rapid growth in dozens of countries
as they invested heavily in information technology to modernize their
societies. And we could also tap into enormous populations of
skills all over the world. We set out to seize both opportunities.
We’ve made major investments in emerging markets, building up
our teams in nations all over the world. At the same time, we have
Samuel J. Palmisano
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer