Emerging markets are advancing so quickly that they aren't just speeding through the technology phases of developed countries, they're skipping stages entirely - a phenomenon economists have called "leapfrogging".
So said Maurice Blackwood of IBM. "The most visible signs of leapfrogging can be seen in consumer technologies. Consumers in emerging markets are adopting the Internet, mobile phones and social media at a rapid pace. By 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be the world's second-largest mobile Internet market, surpassing Europe and ranking only behind Asia-Pacific, according to Frost & Sullivan," he continued.
IBM recently announced it was creating a LinuxONE Community Cloud for Africa that developers will be able to access at no charge via the cloud to create and test applications on LinuxONE, the industry's most powerful Linux-only system.
This week IBM will be hosting a briefing in association with ITWeb Events that will further explain how IBM's LinuxONE can aid companies in South Africa leverage this platform to be more agile and flexible.
"IBM LinuxONE provides an open and flexible Linux platform with virtually unlimited scale. At its core are high-performing processors; exceptional, easily-managed virtualisation; superior scalability, elasticity, and reliability; ultimate multi-layered security; and a rich, open software ecosystem. IBM LinuxONE enables IT to support today's rapidly evolving business objectives," said Blackwood.
"The emphasis on Linux is significant because of its potential. Just as consumer technologies in Africa are skipping stages, businesses in emerging markets also have a chance to leapfrog legacy enterprise technology, and Linux is the ideal vehicle for facilitating those advancements," he explained.
"After 25 years of dramatic growth, Linux provides a unique combination to meet the needs of businesses in rapidly developing markets. Accessibility has long been a compelling factor for Linux. Linux and other open-source software are readily available to organisations of all sizes," he continued.
Talking about the briefing this week, Blackwood said: "This half-day briefing starts with a discussion of common business objectives - expertly executing business processes, enhancing workforce productivity and skills, and delighting the customer, all while meeting or exceeding shareholder expectations."
"We then introduce IBM LinuxONE as the solution that not only addresses current technology issues, but also drives success towards those business objectives. We will discuss a variety of ways to achieve success through platform technology, architecture, and design. The result is exceptional performance and reliability, a superlative experience for the customer, top-to-bottom security that protects against data loss and a choice of Linux distributions that ensure skills and expertise are fully leveraged for the smooth operation of the data centre," he concluded.
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