IBM plans to invest $100 million into region

IBM Polska is keen to exploit the growth potential of the EU accession countries and invest $100 million (zl. 387 million) into the region over the next three years, most of which, it is thought, will be spent in this country. The first step in the implementation of the strategy seems to be changing the company's president. According to Barbara Socha, public relations officer at IBM, the company would not be able to comment on its expansion plans until September, as management board members are on holiday. As of September 1, Grzegorz Tomasiak is to be replaced as IBM Polska's president by Dariusz Fabiszewski, former head of Fujitsu Siemens Computers. The official explanation for the investment is that the market is expected to grow following the European Union accession. Unofficially, however, the real reason is that this is the only region in Europe where IBM is not a market leader. The company has a 5.9-percent market share, as opposed to Hewlett-Packard (HP)'s 14.3 percent. IBM's purchase of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting has been hailed as a positive step, allowing the company to offer an integrated package of services that will improve the finances of both its consulting and IT services. Market experts see this as the area where IBM has the most growth potential in Poland as well as internationally. But since the leader on that market segment is HP, increasing IBM's market share may prove difficult, said Jarek Smulski, IT analyst at market research company IDC.