Deployment will go the way most IBM products go. Either solidly competent but massively overengineered and priced to match, or the client will beat IBM down on price to match the competition at which point they will promise the earth and struggle on delivery.
Our viewpoint has always been: if you can afford full-fat IBM, go for it and you won't regret it. If you can't afford them, go somewhere else. Don't force them down to a bargain-basement price because they will agree (salesdroids must win the business no matter what), then they will chop the guts out of the project to match the agreed price. And both you and the poor IBM sods who have to deliver it will live to regret it.
I've always loved working with IBMers, and hated working with IBM.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
