IBM announced this week its new that ties Big Blue's on-demand, adaptive and autonomic efforts together with its vertical industry expertise --garnered over the years from its Global Services group.

IBM is looking to help customers manage IT service delivery and performance across physical, virtual, digital and environmental assets and is packaging its software and services at seven vertical industries. The company revealed the strategic direction and a variety of new and updated products at its Pulse 2009 conference, which drew about 3,000 attendees in Las Vegas.

To start, IBM updated a slew of service management products customized to address seven vertical industries, such as utilities, telecommunications, banking and retail. The IBM Service Management Industry Solutions service incorporates technology IBM acquired from MRO Software and Micromuse as well as offerings from the business and technology groups at IBM.

Big Blue wants to help customers connect its multiple assets and manage services across various elements including, for instance, power and cooling devices, to be able to better assess efficiencies and resiliencies of a company, rather than pockets of IT, business groups or facilities. According to Pete McCaffrey, director of Dynamic Infrastructure at IBM, the packages will help customers accelerate their service management rollouts.

Analysts say that IBM is banking on the fact that in the midst of recession CEOs might be looking at industry-specific offerings that span multiple business units.