IBM and Australian Open 2008

IBM is the Official Technology Partner of the Australian Open, and for the past 14 years IBM has helped Tennis Australia innovate and deliver real business results to meet the demands of millions of fans, sponsors, broadcasters and players around the world.

In 2007 the Australian Open saw a record 550,550 fans pass through the gates, and over half a billion homes tune in to the tournament worldwide.

The 2007 official tournament Web site also attracted a record 4.7 million unique users who visited 22 million times and viewed 140.7 million pages in just 14 days.

Once again IBM has partnered with Tennis Australia to develop innovative solutions to ensure the 2008 Australian Open is ahead of the game.

Some of the solutions that IBM will be providing at the tournament include:

• An integrated end-to-end scoring system that supports key services
• Australian Open Intranet
• Speed Serve System
• The Match Update Centre located in Garden Square
• The graphics interface used by major television broadcasters to display the scores you see on your TV
• The Official Australian Open Tournament website
• Court Operations.

Ultimately every organisation is reflected in the companies it chooses as a partner. IBM's global client base of leaders and first movers are believers in the power of innovation to transform their organisations. By understanding Tennis Australia's unique challenges, IBM's expertise and innovative solutions are helping the tournament in their transformation to a global brand and sustainable year round business.

IBM - helping Australian Open to succeed through business and technology innovation. For more information go to http://www.ibm.com/au/australianopen/.