Technology
giant IBM launched a set of cloud computing tools designed to help business
partners adopt cloud business models and generate new revenue streams by
offering public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructures, applications and
services to their clients. The company is extending the IBM SmartCloud
portfolio with two new public cloud services, SmartCloud Enterprise+ and
SmartCloud Application Services.
SmartCloud
Enterprise+ will provide infrastructure as a service, including enterprise-class
governance, administration and management control, multiple security and
isolation options built into the virtual infrastructure and network, and real
business-centric service-level agreements (SLAs). Additionally, IBM intends to
make SCE+ available to qualified IBM business partners for resell in the first
half of 2012.
SmartCloud
Application Services will enable enterprise applications as a cloud service
using a set of secure tools, and interested ISVs can join the SmartCloud
Application Service beta program.
IBM
also announced enhancements to the existing IBM SmartCloud, including a white
label option for business partners to launch branded services based on
SmartCloud Enterprise.
In
addition, IBM is launching SmartCloud Foundation, a family of private cloud
solutions to help businesses design and deploy private cloud
environments. The private cloud offerings will be specifically targeted to
small to medium-size businesses (SMBs). SmartCloud Entry, delivered by IBM
Starter Kit for Cloud, offers the building blocks to create private clouds on
virtualized IBM System x and Power Systems hardware. The solution provides
simplified initialization and administration for cloud environments on Power
and x86 systems and standardization of virtual machines.
SmartCloud
Provisioning software offers a provisioning engine and image management system
to create or provision virtual machines, while IBM SmartCloud Monitoring
applies its monitoring expertise to provide greater visibility into the
performance of virtual and physical environments like storage, network and
server resources. To help companies analyze their cloud readiness and identify
key challenges they may need to address before moving forward with their cloud
solutions, IBM is also offering a Cloud Assessment tool.
IBM
also offers a variety of ways for business partners to gain access to cloud
technologies and expertise. Across its network of global cloud labs and 40 IBM
Innovation Centers in 33 countries, IBM offers technical expertise in building
cloud skills, delivering cloud workshops and providing access to new training
programs to partners.
"We
are committed to the success of our business partners, and our goal is to
continue to collaborate with them to bring innovative solutions to our joint
clients across industries," said Rich Hume, general manager of IBM global
business partners. "To seize this opportunity, IBM has laid the foundation
for a comprehensive set of cloud offerings which IBM business partners, who are
key to our growth strategy, can take to market to help these clients address
their cloud needs as their businesses grow."
