In a perfect world, new technologies would have labels that say exactly which business problems they solve. In the real world, organizations must make educated guesses and try them out for themselves. Accelerating that trial process can help them yay or nay different technologies quicker.

Coaching clients along this trial process is one aim of IBM Corp.’s Systems Lab Services. “Think of it as a sandbox for geeks worldwide,” said Calline Sanchez (pictured), vice president of IBM’s Systems Lab Services.

IBM Systems Lab Services helps IT leaders in 11 industries plan, design and implement infrastructure. It also allows them to try out and incubate new technologies like high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Lab Services consultants help clients in 123 countries attack business problems with new tech.

Sanchez spoke with John Furrier (@furrier) and Stu Miniman (@stu), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the IBM Think event in San Francisco. They discussed Systems Lab Services work with clients across diverse fields. (* Disclosure below.)

Problems and solutions from every angle

Systems Lab Services pulls a number of approaches and methods, such as design thinking, into a working synergy that accelerates results. Together with technologies like AI, they form a laboratory where clients examine their business problems from different points of view — including the customer’s.

“[Clients] can actually become a user and start evaluating algorithms in order to enable this really amazing technology,” Sanchez said.

For-profit businesses aren’t the only ones getting a technological jump start from Lab Services consultants. They helped the nation of Kazakhstan improve traffic conditions and make roads safer. The president of Kazakhstan approached IBM for help extending technologies through the IBM Smarter Cities initiative, according to Sanchez.

Sanchez is slated to visit Egypt to work with the country on economic growth through technology. 

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the IBM Think event. (* Disclosure: IBM Think sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither IBM nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE