How can you help more women enter IT? Reshma Saujani from Girls Who Code explains

I had a fascinating discussion recently with Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO for Girls Who Code. We discussed why so few women are embarking in careers in Computer Science and what we need to do to address this.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaaZnKioH8Q?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

You will find Reshma speaking at the upcoming SXSW conference in Austin, TX.  


It's a BlueMix Party at SXSW and YOU'RE INVITED! MONDAY

OK, here's the lowdown.

We're having a party at SXSW with food and drink and you're invited! If you're a developer who's always looking for the latest and greatest technology to build on, or have an idea for the next big mobile app, this party is for you!

Register at http://bit.ly/1i3eWok and use the promotional code, SMAC_at_SXSW.

You'll have the opportunity to learn about BlueMix, IBM's open platform for developing and deploying omni-channel applications. Think about it, this could be the perfect environment for your next big project!

And, do you remember the supercomputer that won Jeopardy? We want YOU to put Watson to work with IBM's Watson Mobile Developer Challenge! Learn how you can submit your ideas for a mobile application powered with Watson's powerful cognitive computing technology.

Take advantage of this awesome networking event and the opportunity to learn more about the latest and greatest IBM technology.

So let's get the food, drink, and ideas flowing! I look forward to seeing you there!


Innovate like a startup: What Goliath can learn from David! Pulse it UP!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFbWzuqUOU&feature=youtu.be]


Not Seven of Nine - Eight of Nine! IBM Clear Leader in Social Business according to Experton

Back in 2011,  I told you about my trip to Germany and what I learned about German companies adopting social business principles at great rate, companies like Bayer and Sennheiser.  Even GAD as on stage to tell their Social Business Success at IBM Connect!

And just today, other amazing news has arrived from Germany! It’s about IBM and about our service and product offering being assessed by an external research, advisory and consulting company alongside over 90 other vendors.

Experton, the European Analyst firm, did this extensive vendor benchmark on Social Business for the German market. They are – at least to my knowledge – the first ones collecting data from Social Business Services up to different software components playing into the Social Business space. Just published early 2014 their study shows 9 different quadrants.

SB medium_ExpertonSocialBusinessLeader

And the results remind me of Star Trek Voyager  -- 7 of 9. Why? IBM is in the leader quadrant in 8 of 9 quadrants. The only quadrant not listing IBM as leader is the one for Social CRM. And that’s just because IBM doesn't have an offer in this space...

This is an outstanding and impressive achievement and shows the companies commitment in the Social Business space. You can find more information on the results here including some impressive numbers for the social business market in general.

According to Experton, the market for social business for communication & collaboration (SB4CC) even outpaces cloud computing as IT and business driver with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50% by 2016!

You want to get a summary of the study? Send a note to Stefan.Pfeiffer@de.ibm.com. He will make sure, that you get the PDF as soon as it’s available.


Design Matters to Social, Mobile and Start-Ups!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz9or_CNxPk&feature=youtu.be]


Create an App for Cloud and Mobile at PULSE!

With the world's mobile worker population expected to reach 1.3 BILLION by 2015, we need some expert app developers to keep up!

With this in mind, I want to share with you some interesting facts and statistics you should know as you consider the value of attending an event like Pulse for your cloud business.

pulse2014-facebook-9bpulse2014-facebook-7b

Our App Throwdown event at Pulse is not just a competition. It's core intention is to get you in the game! The tiles above are not just describing what's going to happen in the industry, it's potentially describing your cloud business.

The App Throwdown will take place on Monday, February 24th. The winner will be on main stage on Wednesday, February 26th, in front of over 8,000 re-sellers, clients, and IBM sellers – giving you the opportunity to reach a new and broad audience!

This is your chance to show off your cloud solution and shine! Register now  https://greenhouse.lotus.com/forms/anon/org/app/d1672a73-80de-473e-8fcf-473f25927516/launch/index.html?form=F_Form1

and get in the game!


Think Cloud is just an IT obsession? Think again!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1-Tan5TzgA&feature=youtu.be]


Join me at IBM's Cloud Conference in Vegas! 14 Predictions!

The IBM Pulse 2014 conference is just around the corner! As the premier cloud conference, Pulse is an exciting event where you can explore the latest developments in cloud, security and asset management. This year's Pulse will be on February 23-26 in Las Vegas.

I invite you to attend my breakout session where I'll be talking about my 14 predictions for social business trends in 2014. I love looking forward as we journey into a new year of social business. To that end, I'll discuss key topics around themes, such as social tools, social talent and social conText.

To get a taste for my breakout session, watch this video I blogged about at the close of last year:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf5yg_ERDfo&list=UU5uf_n9qa5yQOGEXdGn2uKw&feature=c4-overview]

To add my breakout sessin to your Pulse conference agenda, go to this page <link to https://www-950.ibm.com/events/global/pulse/agenda/preview.html?sessionid=BME-2170A> and click the arrow button.

Hope to see you in Las Vegas, and I'm really looking forward to sharing my predictions with you and hearing some of your own!