The IBM Information Network Architecture and Strategy
Today, the concept and inherent principles of a shared data network are well known and taken for granted as simply being the Internet. When the shared data network approach was implemented in 1983, it had to be sold. The IBM IN Architecture and Strategy to create the first shared data network had five steps in addition to the two inherent principles.
Shared Data Network Principles
> Anything that can be recorded electronically can be delivered electronically, and
> Any user on any network can communicate with any other user on any other network when authorized.
A five-step business model
Step 1 Electronic Business between IBM and it’s customers and suppliers.
Many of IBM’s customers were also suppliers. Connecting both customers and suppliers made electronic communication a two-way business solution. That was the beginning of the formal Electronic Customer Support Architecture and Strategy to deliver wide scale any to any Electronic Business to Business communication.
After building a data network, IBM IN adopted the plan to establish online network connections between IBM and it’s largest customers. Allow IBM’s largest customers to access IBM systems so they could do some of the stuff that had been done by Systems Engineers and Program Support Representatives. This business model is described in the 1985 Network Services Marketing guide. By 1985, the architecture and strategy were formally engaged with the announcement of IBM InfoExpress through the IBM Information Network.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Step 2: The Web Effect
Full multi enterprise worldwide electronic business.
Once IBM’s major customers and suppliers were connected to the common shared data network for electronic business with IBM, those same customers and suppliers could use the same connection to perform their own electronic business with their customers and suppliers. Step two was a simple expansion of the IBM to many by enabling any to any. The cost benefit work had been completed for communication with IBM. The subsequent Business to Business communication was virtually cost-free productivity gain.
The web effect is shown in the 1985 Network Services Marketing Guide
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©”
The any to any growth was geometric as each company added their business partners. The second phase was an obvious next step that helped sell companies on the idea of the first step connection to IBM IN for electronic business with IBM. One connection to IBM IN gave a common connection to the world for open electronic communication with all people regardless of their business or government activities and communication partners.
Adding multi enterprise Email was a big deal.
Thousands of public and private enterprises already had some form of internal file transfer and internal email applications. They were just isolated. People saw the advantage of internal email so the idea of connecting to an external any to any email service was another obvious step. Instead of printing things and mailing it to a company that reentered the information, companies easily understood that anything that can be recorded electronically can be delivered electronically. This part of the strategy defined the first open any to any Email. The transition from internal messaging to open any to any made Email a reality.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©”
STEP 3: Add intermediate and small enterprises.
STEP 3: While step one and two concentrated primarily on IBM and it’s large and medium size customers and suppliers, step three went after other enterprises or smaller enterprises who might not be IBM customers or suppliers. A person who makes belts for a retailer might have just a PC. Their electronic-business activity could also be conducted through the shared global data network.
STEP 4: The general public
Enable the general public who purchased anything from any company to do electronic business. This step includes all the online purchasing and banking that billions of people do every day.
STEP 5: Family and Friends
AKA Social Networking
This is the ultimate goal the originator had in mind when creating the shaded data network architecture and strategy. Allow the architect (and you) to communicate with the world. That includes online purchasing and banking. Most of all enable us to electronically communicate with family and friends. Implicitly all the social networking was imagined.
The Architecture and Strategy were included in various presentations and documents including a 1987 internal IBM network publication addressing IBM Internal networks. It seems that my copy was in one of two boxes of documents I had but were lost between the time I retired and today.
In 1988, IBM IN had steps 1, 2 and 3 in place with most major IBM worldwide business partners and their major business partners connected to IBM IN. Work on any to any email was proceeding rapidly. IBM and the world realized significant productivity gain by switching from manual delivery to electronic delivery as specified in the IBM IN Architecture and Strategy. The need to print and mail orders and invoices then later to be received and reenter into a computer was eliminated. Just-in-time production could become a reality through real time electronic customer support.
The IBM Information Network was officially initiated in 1979. Coincidently, at approximately the same time, I, Don Sprague, submitted a suggestion to IBM to do basically the same thing but slightly different. It is not likely that the suggestion reached the team doing the work to develop the network for two reasons. The suggestion to develop a new product was outside the scope of the suggestion program and the Information Network development work was very confidential which would have made it hart do get the suggestion to them. Thus, the Information Network did not initially include the electronic support architecture and strategy. It was also specifically prohibited from selling services to IBM for the first few years. However, in 1983, I pointed out that the prohibition of IBM IN selling to IBM was the exact opposite from what it should be.
IBM was purchasing services from competitors of IBM IN. I said that IBM should be required to purchase Remote Computing Services and Value Added Network services from IBM IN. Thus, the initiation of the IBM IN Internal Marketing team and the conversion of the suggested IBM Electronic Customer Support Architecture and Strategy to become the IBM Information Network Architecture and Strategy. I included portions of the Architecture and Strategy in the Marketing Guide I wrote. I was the owner of the IBM Information Network Architecture and Strategy until leaving the IBM Global Network in 1996. In 1987, IBM published an internal document with the architecture and strategy of all of IBM’s many internal networks. All the submissions were design documents except my submission of the IBM Information Network Architecture and Strategy. I saved my copy of that publication for years but unfortunately it was in one of two boxes of documents that were lost when moving.