Mumbai: IBM''s (www.ibm.com/in) NetVista desktop has clinched the No 1 spot in India for commercial desktop unit shipment market share in Q4 2002 while IBM''s ThinkPad has emerged No 1 for revenue in Q4 2002.

The latest tracker report from analyst firm IDC reveals that IBM''s NetVista gained 1.6 percentage points in unit market share and increased revenue market share by 1.1 percentage points. The same report also states that IBM led the commercial desktop market in terms of unit shipments with 8.2 per cent share and the notebook segment in terms of revenue with 31.4 per cent share in the just concluded Q4 2002.

Says IBM India vice-president (personal computing division) Alok Ohrie: "A major reason IBM gained share over the competition is our focus on using technology and innovation to help our customers address real business issues. When customers choose IBM, they get more than a box; they get a solution which aims to help them manage the cost of deploying and migrating systems, improving uptime and ensuring secure wireless computing or similar. Our business partner organisations and our non-metro focus have been major contributing factors to this achievement as well."

Think path to growth In 2002, IBM unveiled its new Think personal computing strategy. The Think strategy is based on delivering a comprehensive suite of personal computing offerings which are simpler to use, own and manage and which are more capable of solving complex business challenges such as support and enablement problems, with little human intervention.

Supporting the Think strategy are IBM''s unique ThinkVantage Technologies which make the end-user less dependent on IT staff, and at the same time more secured, giving him better uptime and great ownership experience. The ThinkVantage Technologies are Rapid Restore PC, Software Migration Assistant, Embedded Security System, Access IBM, Access Connections and Image Ultra.

Focus on growth In January 2002, IBM set up a Very Focused Business (VFB) group to address the needs of customers in non-metro markets in India. Through the VFB, IBM has signed more than 750 local partners in over 140 towns across the country. IBM works with these partners to provide customised solutions using IBM products and services at competitive prices — to enable organisations to compete at national and international levels. The geographic spread and reach of IBM PCs through VFB has grown immensely.

Says Ohrie: "We will continue to be active and innovative in the marketplace, by working closely with our channel partners. Together we shall develop products and solutions that will cater to businesses encompassing the small, medium and large enterprises."

IBM is the world''s largest information technology company, with more than 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business.