WebSphere Revolution

WebSphere Geek Spas Key to IBM’s marketing strategy for WebSphere was the IBM Business Partner channel. It was (and still is) the best way for IBM to reach the small and midsize business market. But in the early days of WebSphere, IBM didn’t really have a presence with the type of companies that developed Web applications for small and mid-size businesses. To help increase awareness of WebSphere among the top Web application development firms, IBM used novel approaches such as the Geek Spa concept. In places such as Manhattan, San Francisco, and London, the IBM Web Systems Integrator program would recruit such firms by inviting them to attend Geek Spas where they would be pampered with massages in addition to WebSphere demonstrations a strategy that worked quite well. Portal Server also made it easier for programmers to build a set of Web applications with a consistent “look and feel” from the users’ viewpoint. This helped businesses regain control of the user experience from a branding standpoint. And, Portal Server was also an open portal platform for delivering content to device- and network-independent applications and services known as portlets—simple Java servlet applications that live inside of a user’s portal space. After the initial launch of WebSphere Portal, Mike’s team continued to work hand-in-hand with several large customers such as Prudential Insurance, Daimler Chrysler, and others in an iterative way—so customers continued to drive the requirements for Portal. As Mike explains, “The first eight releases of WebSphere Portal were built over the first 30 months and the development team doubled in size about every six months.” This was lightning fast for IBM. Dropping a new software release on average about once per quarter was not business as usual anything but. In fact it was an extremely aggressive, “jaw-dropping” schedule. The rapid growth of the development team was enabled by the recruitment of top-notch university students, many of whom have been very successful within IBM since. These new employees served to invigorate the team and bring in fresh ideas. The expansion of WebSphere from a stand-alone application server to a brand encompassing a full suite of products together providing a complete e-business platform proved to be a dramatically successful strategy. It was a very energetic time and IBM quickly went from being “out of the market” to being number one in the market something which was unheard of. Key to this success was IBM’s marketing effort. IBM’s direct sales force has traditionally been strong in the enterprise environment and WebSphere was no exception. But IBM needed the small and mid-size business marketplace in order for WebSphere to flourish and this was a problem. Traditionally, IBM leveraged its network of IBM Business Partner firms to reach the small and mid-size business marketplace. These independent companies brought their expertise along with complementary products and services to extend IBM’s reach. But when WebSphere was starting to roll out into the marketplace, IBM didn’t have a business partner program that was relevant with the firms that did Web application development in the Java/Apache world. IBM had to fix this problem and fix it fast. So IBM created the Web Systems Integrator program to build relationships with the best of the companies in this arena. IBM reached out to these companies to recruit them in both traditional and not so traditional ways such as “Geek Spas” (see sidebar) with great success. IBM recruited companies such as Perficient and Prolifics which started out as much smaller companies working with WebSphere and today are some of the largest IBM Business Partners driving the sales of WebSphere as well as other IBM software brands. With the combination of well-executed marketing programs, dedicated software development teams, and a growing network of IBM Business Partners, WebSphere continued to grow quickly. More on the Web • Original Announcement Letter for WebSphere Portal Server • WebSphere Portal delivered (press release 3/21/01) • WebSphere Portal Today on IBM.com 32 http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/index.wss?DocURL=http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/rep_ca/0/897/ENUS201-020/index.html&InfoType=AN&InfoSubType=CA&InfoDesc=Announcement Letters&panelurl=index.wss?buttonpressed=DET001PT008&page=0&user type=EXT&submit.x=12&submit.y=6&paneltext=Multiple types search http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/1067.wss http://www.ibm.com/software/websphere/portal/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of WebSphere Revolution

WebSphere Revolution Table of Contents The Rise of Internet Business WebSphere Takes the Stage WebSphere Application Server Evolves Beyond the Application Server WebSphere and On Demand Business New Flexibility through SOA An Eye Toward the Future

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