IBM has announced new industry-focused software and services to help clients spanning multiple industries including banking, telecom, health care, and insurance, compete more effectively against competitors across the street, around the world or over the Internet.

The new products help identify a client’s performance against important business processes in their industry and then compare that performance to industry averages. IBM then helps develop a plan to increase a client’s business performance, measure and track business goals, and more effectively manage businesses processes across an organization to help clients become best in industry class.

“IBM further differentiates itself in the SOA market with these new offerings that enable customers to measure their company’s level of performance and compare those results to industry peers,” said Robert LeBlanc, general manager, Global Consulting Services and SOA, IBM Global Business Services. “These tools provide clients with a competitive edge that will help them surpass previous business goals while also advancing the entire industry by raising the competitive bar.”

The first new offering is the IBM Globally Integrated Enterprise Assessment. The assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of a company’s current status, determines a strategy for identifying and seizing new global market opportunities and helps make recommendations for closing skills gaps and new business strategies.   It is closely integrated with IBM’s approach to helping customers use a service oriented architecture (SOA), a business strategy to reuse existing technology to more closely align with business goals helping to result in greater efficiencies, cost saving and productivity.