Pros
The name. IBM carries a certain weight with it. IBM employees are usually well trained. IBM is a very good corporate citizen. I think you will find the public relations side very good. The benefits are better than most but declining quickly. It is very easy to call on customers when you drop the "IBM" name. IBM also has great products and advertising. It has always been a company of innovation. Although some may say it's too lage to be effective (I may agree). It is amazing that senior management can get 300,000 people pointed in the same direction each quarter.
Cons
Too much partisan politics, not enough time spent on winning in the market and helping customers. IBM by nature is a very political culture. So much, that I believe it get's in the way of being effective. The fifedon's that are often set up (ibm.com) are built around a smokescreen. Too many people spend far too much time in job justification or trying to build their empire rather than focusing energy on helping customers. If a large portion of your time is spent bulidng a beach head to avoid the axe, how much time can you really spend on gaining marketshare.
