By The Valuentum Team

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) has become a fundamentally different business in the past few years, one focused on providing hybrid cloud computing offerings. The company is a stellar free cash flow generator which enables IBM to reward investors via generous dividend increases, with shares of IBM yielding ~5.1% as of this writing. Substantial near-term headwinds remain, largely due to the various exogenous shocks seen of late (such as major inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, supply chain hurdles, and raging geopolitical tensions), though IBM is still worth considering as a high-yielding income generation idea.

IBM's Key Investment Considerations

IBM solves business problems via integrated hardware/software solutions that leverage IT and its knowledge of business processes. Its solutions help reduce a client's costs or enable new capabilities that generate revenue. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in New York.

Back in 2019, IBM bought Red Hat (a top provider of open source cloud software) through a ~$34 billion deal which made IBM a contending hybrid cloud provider. IBM is looking to seize what it describes as a ~$1 trillion hybrid cloud opportunity, and recent growth in this area has been encouraging. IBM's revamped management team is working hard to turn things around after the company made various blunders during the 2010s decade. Its current Chairman and CEO, Arvind Krishna, has done a solid job righting the ship at IBM since taking on the top role in 2020.

In November 2021, IBM spun off its legacy business tax-free to shareholders as a new publicly traded entity, Kyndryl Holdings, Inc. (KD). Initially, IBM retained a 19.9% stake in Kyndryl though the firm intends to exit that position within 12 months of the spinoff.

Earnings Update

On July 18, IBM reported earnings for the second quarter of 2022 that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Its GAAP revenues rose by 9% year-over-year to hit $15.5 billion with strong growth at its Red Hat, various consulting services, and hybrid infrastructure offerings being key here. When removing foreign currency headwinds arising from the strong US dollar seen of late from the picture, IBM's non-GAAP constant currency revenues were up 16% year-over-year last quarter. IBM's portfolio optimization efforts are having a very powerful impact on its financial performance.

The firm's GAAP gross margin fell by ~185 basis points year-over-year last quarter, falling down to 55.4%. However, economies of scale helped drive its GAAP income from continuing operations up by 81% year-over-year in the second quarter, rising to $1.5 billion. There is some noise here due to the separation of IBM's legacy businesses (via the spinoff of Kyndryl) from its core operations. Keeping that noise in mind, IBM's underlying operations have performed quite well of late.

During its second quarter earnings call, IBM's management team noted the firm now forecasted that its full-year free cash flows would come in near $10.0 billion in 2022, at the low end of its previous forecast. IBM generated $3.6 billion in free cash flow (defined as net operating cash flow less 'payments for property, plant, and equipment' and 'investment in software') while spending $3.0 billion covering its dividend obligations during the first half of 2022. Its modest share repurchases during this period were related to tax withholding purposes as the new IBM is focused on retaining cash to invest in the business. We appreciate that IBM's dividend obligations remain well-covered by its traditional free cash flows.

The company exited June 2022 with a net debt load of $42.8 billion (inclusive of short-term debt, exclusive of restricted cash). One of the biggest risks to IBM's dividend is its large net debt load. IBM had $7.6 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and current marketable securities on hand at the end of June 2022 which provides the company with ample liquidity to meet its near-term funding needs.

IBM continues to expect that its constant currency revenues will grow decently this year (in the mid-single digit range), though sustained foreign currency headwinds are expected to offset strong demand for its offerings, to a degree. Over the long haul, we forecast that under its new management team, IBM will return to stable revenue growth which in turn should see the company's free cash flows swell higher. That would allow IBM to boost its dividend in a sustainable manner going forward, though we caution that its net debt load could limit the size of any future payout increases.

Dividend Analysis

The Dividend Cushion Ratio Deconstruction, shown in the image up above, reveals the numerator and denominator of the Dividend Cushion ratio. At the core, the larger the numerator, or the healthier a company's balance sheet and future free cash flow generation, relative to the denominator, or a company's cash dividend obligations, the more durable the dividend.

The Dividend Cushion Ratio Deconstruction image puts sources of free cash in the context of financial obligations next to expected cash dividend payments over the next 5 years on a side-by-side comparison. Because the Dividend Cushion ratio and many of its components are forward-looking, our dividend evaluation may change upon subsequent updates as future forecasts are altered to reflect new information.

In the context of the Dividend Cushion ratio, IBM's numerator is smaller than its denominator, which suggests weak forward-looking dividend coverage. However, given IBM's strong and stable cash flow profile, we view its forward-looking dividend coverage favorably when considering IBM's ability to tap capital markets into account. Should IBM stumble for any reason, its ability to make good on its payout may be in danger.

IBM's Economic Profit Analysis

The best measure of a firm's ability to create value for shareholders is expressed by comparing its return on invested capital ['ROIC'] with its weighted average cost of capital ['WACC']. The gap or difference between ROIC and WACC is called the firm's economic profit spread. IBM's 3-year historical return on invested capital (without goodwill) is 41.6%, which is above the estimate of its cost of capital of 9.2%.

In the chart down below, we show the probable path of ROIC in the years ahead based on the estimated volatility of key drivers behind the measure. The solid grey line reflects the most likely outcome, in our opinion, and represents the scenario that results in our fair value estimate. Assuming IBM's recent portfolio optimization efforts go as planned, the firm's ability to generate shareholder value (which historically has been impressive) should continue to improve.

IBM's Cash Flow Valuation Analysis

Our discounted cash flow process values each firm on the basis of the present value of all future free cash flows, net of balance sheet considerations. We think IBM is worth $136 per share with a fair value range of $101-$171 per share. Shares of IBM are trading moderately below our fair value estimate as of this writing.

The near-term operating forecasts used in our enterprise cash flow model, including revenue and earnings, do not differ much from consensus estimates or management guidance. Our model reflects a compound annual revenue growth rate of 3.4% during the next five years, a pace that is higher than the firm's 3-year historical compound annual growth rate of -10.3%.

Our model reflects a 5-year projected average operating margin of 17.6%, which is above IBM's trailing 3-year average. Beyond Year 5, we assume free cash flow will grow at an annual rate of 2% for the next 15 years and 3% in perpetuity. For IBM, we use a 9.2% weighted average cost of capital to discount future free cash flows.

IBM's Margin of Safety Analysis

Although we estimate IBM's fair value at about $136 per share, every company has a range of probable fair values that's created by the uncertainty of key valuation drivers (like future revenue or earnings, for example). After all, if the future were known with certainty, we wouldn't see much volatility in the markets as stocks would trade precisely at their known fair values.

In the graphic up above, we show this probable range of fair values for IBM. We think the firm is attractive below $101 per share (the green line), but quite expensive above $171 per share (the red line). The prices that fall along the yellow line, which includes our fair value estimate, represent a reasonable valuation for the firm, in our opinion.

Concluding Thoughts

The steady decline in IBM's legacy business since 2010 represents a major reason why the firm spun off Kyndryl in November 2021. Going forward, IBM will need to prove that as a leaner and more focused enterprise, it can maintain solid revenue and operating income growth over the long haul. We think that will be the case, though substantial near-term headwinds remain. Investors looking for an income generation idea backed up by a strong cash flow profile should take a closer look at IBM.

A four-year bachelor’s degree has long been the first rung to climbing America’s corporate ladder.

But the move to prioritize skills over a college education is sweeping through some of America’s largest companies, including Google, EY, Microsoft, and Apple. Strong proponents say the shift helps circumvent a needless barrier to workplace diversity.

“I really do believe an inclusive diverse workforce is better for your company, it’s good for the business,” Ginni Rometty, former IBM CEO, told Fortune Media CEO Alan Murray during a panel last month for Connect, Fortune’s executive education community. “That’s not just altruistic.”

Under Rometty’s leadership in 2016, tech giant IBM coined the term “new collar jobs” in reference to roles that require a specific set of skills rather than a four-year degree. It’s a personal commitment for Rometty, one that hits close to home for the 40-year IBM veteran.

When Rometty was 16, her father left the family, leaving her mother, who’d never worked outside the home, suddenly in the position to provide.

“She had four children and nothing past high school, and she had to get a job to…get us out of this downward spiral,” Rometty recalled to Murray. “What I saw in that was that my mother had aptitude; she wasn’t dumb, she just didn’t have access, and that forever stayed in my mind.”

When Rometty became CEO in 2012 following the Great Recession, the U.S. unemployment rate hovered around 8%. Despite the influx of applicants, she struggled to find employees who were trained in the particular cybersecurity area she was looking for.

“I realized I couldn’t hire them, so I had to start building them,” she said.

In 2011, IBM launched a corporate social responsibility effort called the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn. It’s since expanded to 11 states in the U.S. and 28 countries.

Through P-TECH, Rometty visited “a very poor high school in a bad neighborhood” that received the company’s support, as well as a community college where IBM was offering help with a technology-based curriculum and internships.

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“Voilà! These kids could do the work. I didn’t have [applicants with] college degrees, so I learned that propensity to learn is way more important than just having a degree,” Rometty said.

Realizing the students were fully capable of the tasks that IBM needed moved Rometty to return to the drawing board when it came to IBM’s own application process and whom it was reaching. She said that at the time, 95% of job openings at IBM required a four-year degree. As of January 2021, less than half do, and the company is continuously reevaluating its roles.

For the jobs that now no longer require degrees and instead rely on skills and willingness to learn, IBM had always hired Ph.D. holders from the very best Ivy League schools, Rometty told Murray. But data shows that the degree-less hires for the same jobs performed just as well. “They were more loyal, higher retention, and many went on to get college degrees,” she said.

Rometty has since become cochair of OneTen, a civic organization committed to hiring, promoting, and advancing 1 million Black individuals without four-year degrees within the next 10 years.

If college degrees no longer become compulsory for white-collar jobs, many other qualifications—skills that couldn’t be easily taught in a boot camp, apprenticeship program, or in the first month on the job—could die off, too, University of Virginia Darden School of Business professor Sean Martin told Fortune last year.

“The companies themselves miss out on people that research suggests…might be less entitled, more culturally savvy, more desirous of being there,” Martin said. Rather than pedigree, he added, hiring managers should look for motivation.

That’s certainly the case at IBM. Once the company widened its scope, Rometty said, the propensity to learn quickly became more of an important hiring factor than just a degree.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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IBM (IBM) was upgraded Friday by TheStreet's Quant Ratings service. Long-time Real Money subscribers have come to learn I like to combine investment approaches. No one investment approach (fundamental, technical, quantitative) is perfect and better results can come from blending or combining different methods.

Let's see what could Strengthen the charts of IBM keeping in mind this quantitative upgrade.

In the daily bar chart of IBM, below, we can see that the shares have moved in a broad sideways trend the past 12 months. The 200-day moving average line has slowly moved up and then down in what could be considered a neutral band.

The On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line has also moved sideways suggesting a balance between buyers and sellers. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) oscillator is currently in a bearish alignment below the zero line but the trend of the past year has been sideways.

In the weekly Japanese candlestick chart of IBM, below, we can see a broad sideways trend to trading the past 18 months or so. Trading volume has slowed in the past few months and the weekly OBV line shows a decline from February. So far prices have held relatively steady but that may not continue if weakness in the broader market averages continues.

The MACD oscillator is slightly above the zero line and looks like it will cross the line in the near future.

In this daily Point and Figure chart of IBM, below, we can see a possible downside price target in the $109 area. A trade at $122.47 is needed to refresh the downtrend.

In this second Point and Figure chart of IBM, below, we used weekly price data. Here a price target of $108 is shown.

Bottom-line strategy: IBM could continue to trade in a broad sideways pattern but further weakness cannot be ruled out as weak market conditions can mean that traders sell first and ask questions later.

Get an email alert each time I write an article for Real Money. Click the "+Follow" next to my byline to this article.

RESEARCH PARK TRIANGLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 5, 2022--

To take a critical look at how today’s societal challenges have affected global productivity and attitudes, Lenovo today releases its first-ever Think Report. This report identifies a compromised way of thinking in today’s world, with global respondents claiming a loss of roughly two hours per day in productivity due to their inability to think purposefully, primarily because of burnout, stress and mental fatigue they have experienced from the tremendous societal changes in the past two years.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221005005300/en/

Lenovo Think Report 2022: The State of Thinking Today and Into the Future (Photo: Business Wire)

This timely report – which surveyed 5,700+ people across the US, UK, Germany and Japan – comes on the heels of the 30 th anniversary of Lenovo ThinkPad. The insights look to educate people in the workforce on the importance of “real thinking,” and will enable those to use technology more intelligently, collaboratively -- and less intrusively, in a way that isn’t distracting to living life and thriving.

“It is eye-opening to see that people globally feel that societal progress is in jeopardy because of a lack of real thinking. 80% of those surveyed believe that we, as a society, need to develop a new revolution in thinking,” commented Emily Ketchen, VP and CMO of Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “As we celebrate ThinkPad’s 30 th anniversary, it’s a pivotal time to re-evaluate how human-centered technology can catalyze better thinking in all aspects of our lives – from home to work to school and more.”

The Thinking Gap

Respondents largely feel that the external events of the last few years (e.g., COVID-19, economic disruptions, etc.) are contributing to and exacerbating distractions, heightened multitasking and fatigue, which further impairs the quality of their thinking.

• Across all respondents, just 34% say they spend "all" or "most" of their thinking time in clear, deep, and productive thinking.
• 75% of IT Decision Makers globally say that their colleagues struggle “a great deal” or “somewhat” with engaging in clear and productive thinking.
• 64% of those surveyed feel that they are reliant on practical or “survival” thinking and the ability to think quickly and multitask is “extremely” or “very important” – thus, resulting in a lack of innovative and actionable thinking that can impact advancements.

In tandem, most respondents feel the situation is not improving – projecting that their lives will not get any easier or any less stressful over the next several years.

The Power of Thinking

Across the globe, while broad segments of respondents said they are struggling to achieve better thinking today, respondents have positive associations with improved thinking and understand the benefits that come with unlocking higher-order thinking.

• 65% of respondents believe that engaging in clear, deep, productive thinking will help them make better decisions.
• 79% of those surveyed in the U.S. consider critical thinking “extreme” or “very important.”

Thinking Habits

While people recognize the power of improved thinking, productive thinking times vary greatly depending on the region, and don’t always align with the traditional “9-to-5” workday.

• 37% of Americans surveyed and 24% of respondents in the UK prefer late nights or early mornings.
• 25% of Japanese respondents favor mid-morning. On the other hand, 35% of Germans think more clearly in the evenings.

Across the board, those surveyed believe the #1 must-have for better thinking is a quiet environment – and respondents in the US, UK and Germany expressed noise-cancelling technologies are most valued to help with deeper thinking.

Better Thinking Empowered by Technology

Based on the research, evolutions in communication and collaboration technologies are considered as the most helpful features in promoting better thinking. In addition, learning how to use technology more purposefully – including setting some boundaries, limiting distractions and decreasing clutter of information – can help us build better thinking habits.

• 66% of Business End Users surveyed are looking for information on how technology can help with clear, deep and productive thinking. They are also more willing than the general population to consider re-evaluating their relationship with technology. For example, many feel that simplifying tasks could help individuals achieve better thinking.
• 40% of respondents in Germany would learn how to use technology more purposefully.
• 39% of respondents in the U.S. would set boundaries around their technology usage. For example, setting time aside to play an instrument or exercise.

Overwhelmingly, IT Decision Makers surveyed feel optimistic about the technology their coworkers have access to and how it enables clear thinking for employees and organizations. Whether it’s crunch time to meet deadlines, a need for business minds to come together, or the opportunity to invent – more than 60% of those surveyed think that technology helps individuals engage in critical, reflective, collaborative, expansive/exploratory and/or new types of thinking.

Thinking for Humanity

Overall, respondents believe that improved thinking has the potential to leave long-lasting impacts. A majority of those surveyed agree that better thinking would increase our collective humanity and we would be closer to solving challenges facing humanity and society for future generations to come.

• 62% in the US, 54% in the UK and 52% in Germany say that our society would be kinder if we engaged in more clear, deep and productive thinking.

The full Think Report can be viewed here.

Methodological Note

Fieldwork for this study was conducted via an online survey of 5,768 respondents from July 4 to 24, 2022. The survey demo was comprised of a combination of Gen Pop, BEUs 1, and ITDMs 2 from the markets of U.S., U.K., Germany, and Germany. The margin of error for individual market samples of Gen Pop respondents is +/- 3.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$70 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #171 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 75,000 people around the world, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s leading PC player by expanding into new growth areas of infrastructure, mobile, solutions and services. This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.

1 Gen Z / Millennials who use technology in their profession

2 IT Decision Makers

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221005005300/en/

CONTACT: Kayla Silverstein

ksilverstein@lenovo.com

KEYWORD: NORTH CAROLINA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY HUMAN RESOURCES GENERATION X BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WOMEN BABY BOOMERS MILLENNIALS MEN SOFTWARE NETWORKS CONSUMER DATA ANALYTICS

SOURCE: Lenovo

Copyright Business Wire 2022.

PUB: 10/05/2022 08:00 AM/DISC: 10/05/2022 08:03 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221005005300/en

Dialexa's leading digital product engineering consulting services will enhance IBM's hybrid cloud and AI capabilities, accelerate growth for clients

ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced plans to acquire Dialexa, a leading U.S. digital product engineering services firm, to help companies drive innovation and achieve their digital growth agendas. The acquisition is expected to deepen IBM's product engineering expertise and provide end-to-end digital transformation services for clients.

Dialexa will be the sixth acquisition IBM has made in 2022, further bolstering the company's hybrid cloud and AI skills and capabilities. Since Arvind Krishna became CEO in April 2020, IBM has acquired more than 25 companies. Thirteen of those acquisitions, including Dialexa, have been in IBM Consulting. Today's news builds upon IBM Consulting's prior acquisitions, including Neudesic, Sentaca, Nordcloud and Taos.

The acquisition of Dialexa will be IBM Consulting's first in the fast-growing digital product engineering services market, which is estimated to reach $700 billion by 2026¹. Upon close, Dialexa will join IBM Consulting, spearheading IBM's digital product engineering services presence in the Americas.

"In this digital era, clients are looking for the right mix of high-quality products to build new revenue streams and Strengthen topline growth," said John Granger, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting. "Dialexa's product engineering expertise, combined with IBM's hybrid cloud and business transformation offerings, will help our clients turn concepts into differentiated product portfolios that accelerate growth."

Founded in 2010, Dialexa delivers a suite of digital product engineering services, helping organizations create transformative products to drive business outcomes. Its multi-disciplinary and highly skilled team of 300 product managers, designers, full-stack engineers and data scientists, based in Dallas and Chicago, advise and create custom, commercial-grade digital products for clients such as Deere & Company, Pizza Hut US, and Toyota Motor North America. Dialexa has deep experience delivering end-to-end digital product engineering services consisting of strategy, design, build, launch, and optimization services across cloud platforms including AWS and Microsoft Azure.

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"Digital product engineering represents the tip of the spear for competitive advantage," said Scott Harper, CEO and Co-Founder, Dialexa. "IBM and Dialexa's shared vision for delivering industry-defining digital products could be a game changer. We are thrilled to become part of one of the world's most iconic companies to continue to scale and grow our global client relationships in this rapidly growing market."

"The Dialexa team has been an outstanding partner for us in deepening our product thinking and assisting in our design practice on some of our key digital initiatives.  It is rare to find a partner with such a strong combination of great thought partnership and deep execution capabilities," said Chuck Rhoades, Chief Technology Officer, Pizza Hut US. "We're excited about the possibilities of bringing these two companies together."

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances. Financial details were not disclosed.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

¹ IDC WW Product Engineering Services Forecast: 2022-2026

CONTACT: Marisa Conway, conwaym@us.ibm.com

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SOURCE IBM

HBCUs will work with IBM to establish Cybersecurity Leadership Centers, giving students and faculty access to IBM training, software, and certifications at no cost.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During the National HBCU Week Conference convened by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced its collaboration with 20 Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) to help them establish Cybersecurity Leadership Centers.

With 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., the need for expertise is critical: According to a recent IBM Security study, insufficiently staffed organizations average $550,000 more in breach costs than those that state they are sufficiently staffed.**

"Collaborations between academia and the private sector can help students prepare for success. That's especially true for HBCUs because their mission is so vital," said Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG. "The Cybersecurity Leadership Centers we're co-creating with Historically Black College and Universities epitomize our commitment to the Black community and STEM education; it also builds on our pledge to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years."

IBM will collaborate with the following 20 HBCUs across 11 states to co-create Cybersecurity Leadership Centers, helping to create talent for employers and opportunities for students. (Six of these collaborations were previously announced in May*)

• Alabama– Alabama A&M University, Talladega College, Tuskegee University
• Florida– Edward Waters University, Florida A&M University
• Georgia– Albany State University, Clark Atlanta University*
• Louisiana– Grambling State University, Southern University System*, Xavier University of LA*
• Maryland– Bowie State University, Morgan State University*
• Mississippi– Alcorn State University
• North Carolina– North Carolina A&T State University*, North Carolina Central University
• South Carolina – South Carolina State University*, Voorhees University
• Texas– Texas Southern University
• Virginia– Norfolk State University
• West Virginia– West Virginia State University

Through IBM's collaboration, faculty and students at participating schools will have access to coursework, lectures, immersive training experiences, certifications, IBM Cloud-hosted software, and professional development resources, all at no cost to them. This includes access to:

• Cybersecurity curricula: IBM will develop for each participating HBCU, a customized IBM Security Learning Academy portal – an IBM client offering – including courses designed to help the university enhance its cybersecurity education portfolio. In addition, IBM will continue to give access to IBM SkillsBuild.
• Immersive learning experience: Faculty and students of participating HBCUs will have an opportunity to benefit from IBM Security's Command Center, through which they can experience a highly realistic, simulated cyberattack, designed to prepare them and train them on response techniques. Moreover, HBCUs' faculty will have access to consultation sessions with IBM technical personnel on cybersecurity.
• Software: Multiple IBM Security premier enterprise security products hosted in the IBM  Cloud
• Professional development: Forums to exchange best practices, learn from IBM experts, and discover IBM internships and job openings

About IBM Education

As part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, IBM's education portfolio takes a personalized, diverse, and deep approach to STEM career readiness. IBM's pro bono programs range from education and support for teens at public schools and universities, to career readiness resources for aspiring professionals and job seekers. IBM believes that education is best achieved through the collaboration of the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program focused on underrepresented communities, that helps adult learners, and high school and university students and faculty, develop valuable new skills and access career opportunities. The program includes an online platform that is complemented by customized practical learning experiences delivered in collaboration with a global network of partners. The online platform offers over 1,000 courses in 19 languages on cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing and many other technical disciplines — as well as in workplace skills such as Design Thinking. Most important, participants can earn IBM-branded digital credentials that are recognized by the market. The customized practical learning experiences could include project-based learning, expert conversations with IBM volunteers, mentors, premium content, specialized support, connection with career opportunities, access to IBM software, among others. As of February 2022, IBM SkillsBuild operates in 159 counties and is supporting 1.72M learners since its launch.

About IBM Security

IBM Security offers one of the most advanced and integrated portfolios of enterprise security products and services. The portfolio, supported by world-renowned IBM Security X-Force® research, enables organizations to effectively manage risk and defend against emerging threats. IBM operates one of the world's broadest security research, development, and delivery organizations, monitors 150 billion+ security events per day in more than 130 countries, and has been granted more than 10,000 security patents worldwide. For more information, please check www.ibm.com/security, follow @IBMSecurity on Twitter or visit the IBM Security Intelligence blog.

*  Announced in May 2022
** Cost of a Data Breach Report 2022, conducted by Ponemon Institute, sponsored & analyzed by IBM

Media Contact:

Ari Fishkind
IBM Media Relations
fishkind@us.ibm.com

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SOURCE IBM

This is looking like a throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater market. Take Tuesday trading: 490 of the S&P 500 stocks are lower after August inflation came in hotter than expected.

Most stocks are having a lousy year, but not all stocks have deserved the same fate. And many stocks have seen their price/earnings ratio collapse to seemingly attractive levels.