Digital transformation is essential during modernization, particularly after the pandemic stalled in-person interactions and accelerated the need for remote and online services.

IBM is working with organizations to address critical digital transformation needs. And With end-to-end services, such as IBM Garage, businesses can use IBM’s expertise with hybrid cloud and DevOps to bring their company to the front lines of the digital revolution, according to Debbie Vavangas (pictured), global lead of IBM Garage and vice president at IBM. In fact, IBM Garage saw notable growth during the pandemic.

“We’ve gone from to just a few hundred garages in 2019 to finishing 2020 with over two and a half thousand garages,” Vavangas said. “We’ve had a huge growth, and it isn’t just the number of garages; it’s the range of garages and what we’re serving with our clients, how we’re collaborating with our clients, and the topics we’re unpacking that has really broadened.”

Vavangas spoke with John Furrier host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during IBM Think. They discussed IBM Garage, its success during the pandemic, making it accessible to the public and more. (* Disclosure below.)

Success through innovation

As digital transformation becomes easier and more streamlined, it’s common for businesses to forgo innovation in favor of what’s familiar and inexpensive. This, Vavangas explains, is a costly decision in the end.

“By putting innovation at the heart of your enterprise, and by using data-driven value orchestration, we don’t guess where the value to be gained is; we know. It’s no longer chucking ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It’s meaningful research.”

IBM Garage also seeks to be accessible to anyone, employing several methods to increase its usability.

“Over the last 18 months, we’ve had a whole range of training programs. We’ve had a whole badging and certification program. This is about making all of the services capable. In 2020, we trained over 28,000 people in all the different skills that are needed, from selling, to execution, to QA, to user research.”

IBM has also launched Garage Skills Academy, which aims to train people in a variety of skills through accessible online classes.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM Think. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for IBM Think. Neither IBM, the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE