Does this surprise you? Here's how they're going to do it....
First its no secret.
Companies can only delay critical projects for so long before they have to pull the trigger.
Outsourcing of operations is one way that companies can lower their IT costs and get a 'handle' on them. (Assuming that IBM can actually pull off the outsourcing)
That's on the sell side of the equation.
On the fulfillment side, IBM has and will continue to move their internal operations to lower cost countries. Like their North American Ops moved down to Brazil. The downside is that there's more pain internal to IBM, but not noticeable to the customer. Who cares if there's a 72 hour delay in the paperwork.... Then IBM will offshore as much of the outsourcing to cheap labor around the world. When they can't offshore the work, IBM will rely on Onshore tactics as well as H1B visas to get lower cost here in the US. Onshore meaning that they post an internal job opening that they can't fill so they relocate a lower cost worker who is an IBM employee to the US.
So its a margins game. IBM will continue to lose on Hardware, sell more software and make margins on the services.
Sam P is cutting the company to the bone to get his profitability up so he can cash out.
When he leaves, watch all the analysts short the shite out of IBM's shares.
The black chopper cause I've said too much and they know who I am. :-)