Tata-IBM splits

It is IBM India. Now.



It took seven years for the marriage to
last and at the end the partners divorced amicably. The much celebrated joint venture

between Tatas and IBM is finally over.

While official release from the

company is yet to be out, DQ Week sources have determined that IBM is finally buying out

the entire stake in the joint venture, except for one percent, which the company's MD and

CEO Ranjit Limaye terms as symbolic of the relationship that the two partners have enjoyed

over the years.

In fact, just a month ago, this

writer had met Limaye for the latter's first ever media interview and had pointedly asked

the same question, to which Limaye had given a laconic 'wait and watch' reply.

Limaye asserts that it's business as

usual and says that the two companies will continue to cooperate as before.

"It is a decision taken

mutually," he said. Market watchers believe that IBM will now get extremely

aggressive in the market.

According to a competitor,

"Earlier they were there in a JV and the stakes were jointly shared. Now it is their

own baby. I wouldn't be surprised if they were to launch a blitzkreig of products and

solutions and match it with a spend to improve the positioning of the IBM brand

name."

For the JV, it is actually not a

very bad news as while the entire company was being run by IBM'ers, with completely IBM

products and with an IBM ethos, what TATAs brought to table was highly debated. The debate

is over now.