As computing powerhouse IBM Corp. shifts lanes from its IBM Insight event to its World of Watson 2016 conference, it’s hard not to notice the company is placing big bets on the data-crunching Watson platform as the conference up-leveled to address modern business demands for the Internet of Things markets, machine learning, artificial intelligence and what it all means for IBM’s self-proclaimed cognitive era.

As theCUBE*, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, wrapped day one of IBM World of Watson 2016 in Las Vegas, NV, co-hosts Dave Vellante(@dvellante) and John Furrier (@furrier) took some time to review the day and analyze where IBM is heading in the future.

“IBM is taking that pioneering mojo in digital and bringing it into a user experience in the business-to-business space,” Furrier began. He noted that Bob Picciano, SVP of the Information and Analytics Group at IBM, was on theCUBE earlier in the day and laid out the business of the $18.5-billion business group he heads up for IBM. He feels the trajectory has been directionally correct for the past four or five years.

Three areas of business focus

Vellante talked about IBM’s three core areas: data center and cloud; analytics and big data; and cognitive and AI. “IBM, in my opinion, sucked all oxygen out of market with big data and owned that, and won,” he remarked.

He went on to say that many of the big data companies are struggling, but IBM is doing well in big data. He explained that they took a collection of things like Cognos [a business intelligence company] and their information management business, their analytics business etc., and put it together and called it insight economy.

“They superglued their analytics business to the big data theme, and they crushed it,” Vellante remarked. The business is evolving, and Picciano’s share is more than half of IBM’s strategic initiative.

The new guard

Furrier brought up what he deems a controversial topic, sharing that the word on the conference floor is that the old way of doing things is over. IBM wants employees who are nimble, agile and will hit the ground running.

Vellante asked if IBM is successful in attracting developers. Furrier believes that IBM is struggling in this area, and that it is hard to change its culture. However, he did note that IBM is in it for the long haul, and revenue, as well as a culture shift, are on the way.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM World of Watson 2016.

*Disclosure: IBM and other companies sponsor some IBM World of Watson segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE. Neither IBM nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.

Photo by SiliconANGLE