IBM arguably made more money than anyone by selling proprietary computing technology. But one executive at the company is now offering advice on how to get ahead in a world of interchangeable parts. <A HREF="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9589_22-6039174.html?tag=zdnn.alert">Linda Sanford is the senior vice president</A> who runs IBM's on-demand transformation business. In English, that means it's her job to advise IBM and its clients about what parts of the business are worth keeping and what should be handed off to a specialist. In Sanford's view, the increased use of interchangeable commodity components--whether call centers in India or memory chips for PCs--is a trend to be embraced, not rejected. Outsourcing lets a company whittle away nonessential work.