ABSTRACT
Werner von Siemens founded the company in 1847 as a result of his invention of a telegraph that was distinctly different from those using Morse code. The company's largest business segment is Information and Communications. This segment has three groups: Siemens Business Services (SBS), which offers single-source information technology solutions and services; Information and Communication Mobile (ICM), which covers all mobile communications and applications; and Information and Communication Networks (ICN), which develops, manufactures, and sells public communication systems. In 2003, ICN's sales were over seven billion euros but the ebit had a deficit of 366 million euros. This was the result of the difficulties generally experienced by the telecommunications industry at that time. In 2003 to 2004, Siemens ICN decided it would be a solution provider for other global networks. Vice President Janina Kugel headed the team that was put together to establish and support the knowledge-sharing initiatives and the implementation of the community-based Knowledge Management System (KMS), sharenet.
