IBM 2008 Annual Report Download - page 10

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 : We can even use computer
modeling to simulate, monitor
—
and potentially
manage
—
the behavior of river basins around
the world, as Water for Tomorrow, a collaboration
between IBM and The Nature Conservancy,
is now doing in Brazil, China and the U.S.
In every one of these examples
—
and there
are many more
—
we see improved productivity,
efciency, responsiveness, protability and
societal benet.
With so much technology and networking
abundantly available at such low cost, what
service wouldn’t you provide a customer, citizen,
student or patient? What wouldn’t you connect?
What information wouldn’t you mine for insight?
The answer is, you
—
or your competitor
—
will do all of that. You will do it because you
can, because the technology is both available
and affordable.
And governments and societies around the
world will do it because they must. As I talk to
leaders everywhere from business, government
and across civil society, I am hearing the same
urgency for action, the same need for signicant
investment, and the same focus on not simply
repairing what’s broken, but preparing for
a new economy in a new century. In particular,
there is widespread and growing recognition
of the importance of smart infrastructure.
Our conversations around the world are giving
us condence that IBM is well positioned
to address society’s and businesses’ most
urgent needs.
We will be aggressive in our pursuit of this
opportunity. Indeed, you will be hearing and
seeing much more about our smarter planet
vision in the weeks and months ahead, as
we establish our point of view, build the right
relationships and offer smart solutions in
the marketplace.
We Will Emerge Stronger
In closing, I think it’s worthwhile to step back
and consider this moment, and our response
to it, in a broader context. Many companies are
reacting to the current global downturn by
drastically curtailing spending and investment,
even in areas that are important to their future.
We are taking a different approach.
Of course, we must continue to improve
our competitiveness. But while we maintain
discipline and prudence in the near term, we
also maintain the discipline to plan for the
future. We’re not looking back, we’re looking
ahead. We’re continuing to invest in R&D,
in strategic acquisitions, in growth initiatives
—
and most importantly, during these difcult
times, in our people.
In other words, we will not simply ride
out the storm. Rather, we will take a long-term
view, and go on offense. Throughout our
history, during periods of disruption and global
change, this is what IBM has done. Again and
again, we have played a leadership role.
We have imagined what the world might be,
and actually built it.
A LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN