This is my understanding as well - you don't just get all the IBM software you want, but there are ways to internally acquire what you need on funded projects (or similarly, I would assume, acquisitions).
It's worth noting that more and more of IBM's software/platforms are cloud-based and even publicly available (e.g. Bluemix) so I imagine the landscape for this type of software acquisition is changing even internally.
It's worth noting that more and more of IBM's software/platforms are cloud-based and even publicly available (e.g. Bluemix) so I imagine the landscape for this type of software acquisition is changing even internally.