IBM and Its New Content Delivery Initiative

April 20, 2010

I listened to a talk by an IBM innovator today and I did not hear anything about IBM’s deal with Verizon to float cloud storage nor did I hear anything about IBM’s content delivery initiative. I was puzzled because before the lecture I read “IBM Helps Media and Entertainment Industry Meet the Challenges of Delivering Content in the Digital Age.” My hunch is that IBM executives don’t know too much about other units of IBM. The same problem exists at Google, Microsoft, and other multi billion dollar companies. Read this article. Do you see similarities between what Google has announced and Google’s suite of content delivery patent documents? These jumped right off the page and hit me between the eyes. I wonder if the similarity is a result of my having been immersed in Google patent documents and technical papers for the last nine months or if there was one of those happy coincidences that occur. Remember the calculus dust up?

IBM asserts that it offers media and entertainment companies a way to make their lives much easier. Among the features of the new system are:

A media enterprise framework. Unlike the repackaging of open source Apache into WebSphere, this framework sounds like a home grown solution
Personalized content delivery, quite similar to the Google personalization method for set top boxes and other devices
Business process features; that is, everything hooks together presumably eliminating stand alone and siloized functioned
Metadata management which makes search of content assets possible
Security

IBM in this article suggested to the writer:

The IBM Media Enterprise Framework is the software technology backbone that makes a wide range of media and entertainment solutions possible by helping clients to build an integrated platform for all of their operations based on industry standards. This new framework utilizes elements of IBM’s entire software portfolio including WebSphere, Rational, Tivoli, Lotus and Information Management products while leveraging the full range of IBM server and storage products and the industry-specific offerings and consulting expertise of IBM Global Business Services. Additionally, it supports the broad set of independent Software Vendors that address specific application requirements.

Okay, frameworks and backbones. Is IBM, like Google, arriving late to the content delivery party? Akamai and lots of other companies are in this space. Margins seem to be under pressure as firms vie for available accounts. Apple, despite its walled garden approach, seems to be chugging alone. Google’s YouTube.com delivers lots of video. Is there a play for IBM?

We will know if IBM breaks out revenues for this new framework / backbone. My hunch is that IBM is scrambling for any new revenue opportunity it can get. The company has lots of competitors and Fortune 1000 long accustomed to paying IBM big bucks or euros may be counting pennies.

My view is that IBM is cobbling together pieces, partners, and promises in hopes of striking a gusher of cash. Maybe content delivery is another commodity and not exactly what it seems to IBM’s business analysts? And what about search? Maybe another open source play?

Stephen E Arnold, April 20, 2010

A freebie.

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, Enterprise, News, Rich media

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.