IBM has announced the creation of its new Services Innovation Lab, a new global lab that will initially comprise about 200 technology experts hand-picked from around the company.

The lab will accelerate the expansion of real-time analytics and software automation in both IBM's technology services offerings and its global services delivery capabilities.

In an interview with eWEEK, Scott Hopkins, worldwide general manager for IBM Global Technology Services, said the SIL significantly expands IBM's nearly 10-year-old services research program by bringing together services, research, software developers and industry experts from around the company to focus initially on the creation of services software applications for cloud computing, analytics and mobility. IBM invests more than $6 billion annually on research and development and employs about 3,000 researchers worldwide, with about one-third of them focused on services and analytics.

"Our singular focus is to help our clients capitalize on technologies that solve problems and create new possibilities," said Mike Daniels, senior vice president and group executive for IBM Services, in a statement. "Creation of the Services Innovation Lab demonstrates how we at IBM differentiate our capabilities vs. competition. We harness the best of what IBM research and development can deliver in science and engineering to help our clients be more innovative."

IBM researchers, developers and other technical experts who will participate in the SIL have an array of credentials, including development and client experience in computer science, software, security and compliance, systems management, mathematics and business optimization, data mining, storage, computer systems, user interaction and cognitive sciences, Hopkins said. The central mission of these researchers and developers is to turn the intellectual property created during client engagements into software thereby making it easier and faster to replicate a solution to thousands of engagements around the globe.

"The Services Innovation Lab is creating a research environment that leverages advances in services science, analytics and cloud computing to create innovation that matters for our clients anywhere in the world," said Mahmoud Naghshineh, vice president and director of the IBM Services Innovation Lab, in a statement. "Our efforts are focused on understanding the problems of service organizations from the perspectives of people, practices, information and technology to provide them new opportunities for revenue, cost savings and to foster innovation."

test