IBM Watson dives further into cloud, healthcare analytics

Moving aggressively on several fronts, IBM announced Tuesday that it is expanding the offerings of its Watson cognitive computing platform to focus more on cloud computing initiatives, as well as on healthcare -- a market where the tech giant sees substantial opportunities. First, Watson Health will consist of about a dozen medical institutions using the Watson platform to aid genomic-based cancer treatment. Big Blue also detailed a new program that will add development partners who will contribute to the Watson platform. In addition, IBM will be offering Watson as part of a hybrid-cloud solution. The new capability is being offered through the Watson Zone on Bluemix, IBM's cloud-innovation platform.