Working for IBM
Discussion
Have recently found out that the software company i work for has been bought out by IBM, we specialise in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
I will now be working for IBM's Enterprise Applications division.
Was just wondering what if anyone can give me an insight into what they are like to work for.
Thanks in advance.
For: Massive Company
Against: Massive Company
There's so many divisions, geographical units, large programmes that there's no single "what's it like" answer.
In general though, despite making Billions of Dollars profit each quarter, there has been a gentle negative growth in recent times (hence a policy of growing by buying other firms), so lots of penny pinching. moving work overseas. etc. (not unique in the IT world).
Not sure what your current culture is like, but within big blue there will be a big focus in the number of billable hours you are booking, with targets having minimal 'fat' for education, illness, time unbilled between projects, so plan on doing plenty of overtime (some or all of it unpaid) when there is work available.
Against: Massive Company
There's so many divisions, geographical units, large programmes that there's no single "what's it like" answer.
In general though, despite making Billions of Dollars profit each quarter, there has been a gentle negative growth in recent times (hence a policy of growing by buying other firms), so lots of penny pinching. moving work overseas. etc. (not unique in the IT world).
Not sure what your current culture is like, but within big blue there will be a big focus in the number of billable hours you are booking, with targets having minimal 'fat' for education, illness, time unbilled between projects, so plan on doing plenty of overtime (some or all of it unpaid) when there is work available.
Truckosaurus said:
For: Massive Company
Against: Massive Company
There's so many divisions, geographical units, large programmes that there's no single "what's it like" answer.
In general though, despite making Billions of Dollars profit each quarter, there has been a gentle negative growth in recent times (hence a policy of growing by buying other firms), so lots of penny pinching. moving work overseas. etc. (not unique in the IT world).
Not sure what your current culture is like, but within big blue there will be a big focus in the number of billable hours you are booking, with targets having minimal 'fat' for education, illness, time unbilled between projects, so plan on doing plenty of overtime (some or all of it unpaid) when there is work available.
In my experience of both working for IBM and later working with IBMers, this ^^^ is a pretty good summary. How it feels will depend on how autonomous your division can be within IBM.Against: Massive Company
There's so many divisions, geographical units, large programmes that there's no single "what's it like" answer.
In general though, despite making Billions of Dollars profit each quarter, there has been a gentle negative growth in recent times (hence a policy of growing by buying other firms), so lots of penny pinching. moving work overseas. etc. (not unique in the IT world).
Not sure what your current culture is like, but within big blue there will be a big focus in the number of billable hours you are booking, with targets having minimal 'fat' for education, illness, time unbilled between projects, so plan on doing plenty of overtime (some or all of it unpaid) when there is work available.
Dont do it! 
I was TUPE'd over last March and last told week that they were making 116 of the 178 people that moved over redundant.
So many hoops to jump through to achieve anything on a daily basis and constantly bombarded to carry out tests and set objectives, goals etc etc and have to submit timesheets every Thursday and if this isnt done you then get bombarded by more emails from people in Romania etc etc
In short, they sell it well to start with but once youve signed up they dont care so good luck.
What company are with now if you dont mind me asking? Not a large advertising company based in Mayfair by any chance?
All of my/our work has been out-sourced to Mumbai and we were tasked with training the teams in Mumbai up and creating documentation for everything to help them, I tried my hardest to dodge all of that
Sorry to say but I expect the same thing will happen to you
I was TUPE'd over last March and last told week that they were making 116 of the 178 people that moved over redundant.So many hoops to jump through to achieve anything on a daily basis and constantly bombarded to carry out tests and set objectives, goals etc etc and have to submit timesheets every Thursday and if this isnt done you then get bombarded by more emails from people in Romania etc etc
In short, they sell it well to start with but once youve signed up they dont care so good luck.
What company are with now if you dont mind me asking? Not a large advertising company based in Mayfair by any chance?
All of my/our work has been out-sourced to Mumbai and we were tasked with training the teams in Mumbai up and creating documentation for everything to help them, I tried my hardest to dodge all of that
Sorry to say but I expect the same thing will happen to you
Edited by Sea Demon on Tuesday 22 March 12:31
gobuddygo said:
Correct, In the past i worked for HP so have some knowledge of how big IT companies work.
My advice - stay on the front foot, client side wherever possible and in a role that is hard to offshore. Once in IBM get up to speed on the newer stuff in the IBM portfolio - Watson (hype-ware but some good stuff amongst the branding)
Bluemix (promising)
And some of the newer stuff in the pipeline and you'll probably find a lateral move fun.
If you can become an architect who can sew together the old and the new in a client - then you will be set.
I was best shored with HP a few years back after they bought EDS. Never again.
Robert X Cringley has a good series of articles going back several years on IBM on the www.betanews.com website. Would give you an inside view on how IBM treats its staff and its working practices.
Robert X Cringley has a good series of articles going back several years on IBM on the www.betanews.com website. Would give you an inside view on how IBM treats its staff and its working practices.
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