Kalam, Palmisano to address IBM meet

BANGALORE

June 6, 2006

Sam Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM, will address around 10,000 of his
company employees in India on Tuesday, at the company's annual investment
analyst meet in Bangalore. The Palace Grounds in Bangalore will play host to
this event, which will include speakers such as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, President of
India, Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Tele-ventures and Shankar Annaswamy, IBM's
MD, India.

Palmisano is slated to speak on innovation in an era of globalization and
showcase India's vast potential, capabilities and its significant role in the
global economy.

India has assumed a position of importance in IBM's strategy to leverage
value from offshore operations in a low-cost economy or n other words a
significant hub in its global delivery model. The company ramped up its
headcount from 9,000 to 43,000 in the last two years, and has plans to add
thousands more.

Market sources feel that IBM's decision to hold the annual analyst meet in
Bangalore shows that the company is bullish on markets like India and China.