IBM will invest $1 billion to develop software and recruit thousands of consultants over the next three years to expand its business of making corporate information more accessible to office workers, the company said Thursday.

The world's largest computer services company is dedicating 15,000 existing consultants to the drive to help steal a march on rivals such as Microsoft, Accenture and EDS.

It will grow this base by 65 percent, or 9,750 people, globally over the next three years. Most of those will come from outside the company, Michael Schroeck, a partner in IBM Business Consulting Services, told Reuters.

Analysts say these software and services companies are among dozens betting on the market for "information-on-demand," which applies Web techniques to help companies struggling to manage inside and outside their organizations.

To deliver on the promise of speedier access to information, IBM is bringing together its software and consulting businesses to help clients cope with globalization, mergers and regulatory compliance.

By: DocMemory
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