IBM's new CEO sees gold in data mining

If IBM's new CEO Virginia Rometty had just one word for you about the next big thing, it might sound a bit reminiscent of that famous scene from "The Graduate." Here one word: Analytics.

Bob Moon, for NPR Marketplace, December 30, 2011

Bob Moon: If Virginia Rometty had just one word for you about the next big thing, it might sound a bit reminiscent of that famous scene from "The Graduate."

"The Graduate" clip: Just one word. Yes, sir? Are you listening? Yes I am. Plastics.

That is so 1960s. Just ask IBM's incoming chief what she's focusing on. Are you listening?

Virginia Rometty: Analytics.

IBM Watson ... was more than just a stunt. IBM has already sold Watson's technology to health care provider WellPoint, to help doctors diagnose patients. Tech analyst Rob Enderle says it's a natural extension to IBM's focus on providing "solutions" to the business world.

Transportation systems could predict traffic jams, and water systems are being developed to instantly pinpoint costly leaks. For IBM's new CEO, those kinds of integrated systems are the future.

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