Information technology: IBM property and the IT factor — A user experience

Abstract

The IBM UK property portfolio is not unique; what is perhaps unique is the timing of the application of information technology (IT) to the business and the impact that this has had on the buildings. IBM UK has long followed the maxim of ‘use what we sell, sell what we use’. The key lesson learned is that of adaptability. Information technology has changed • the working patterns of office occupants • the requirements of data centres • the property — or facilities — organisation and • the buildings. and created ‘an office revolution’. This paper, based on a presentation made at the IBC Information Technology and Building Design Seminar, describes IBM's experiences in the 1980s and explains what the company is doing as a result of the lessons learnt. © 1990, MCB UP Limited