IBM launches Platform as a Service for SmartCloud

IBM today launched its own Platform as a Service offering, joining other legacy hardware vendors in their push for all things cloud.

Big Blue said the market had changed and customers were now ready to put mission critical applications into the cloud. As a result, it has linked up with notable software vendors such as SAP and SugarCRM to provide them.

During a launch event in London today, attended by Cloud Pro, Doug Clark, IBM's cloud leader for UK & Ireland, said the company planned to broaden its offering from private clouds to cover the whole gamut, including public and hybrid cloud.

He said the SmartCloud announcements fell into three main areas: foundation hardware and software – including 'starter kits' – enterprise application services and cloud ecosystem support to help partners develop industry-specific cloud expertise and applications.

John Easton, the IBM distinguished engineer who acts as CTO for its UK cloud group, said SmartCloud also included “key services to help clients move their workflow to the cloud, develop new applications, and understand what their cloud business model ought to be.”

He added: “Time and again, we talk to organisations and see that their adoption of cloud services is not optimal because they are not modifying the way they do business to take advantage of it.”

Easton said, as well as Intel x86-based services, IBM would also offer mission-critical cloud services hosted on its own Power systems.

“Lots of organisations have decided that the x86 platform is not suitable for SAP, for example, and decided to standardise on Power and AIX instead,” he said.

IBM revealed as well as making more of its own cloud catalogue available for its partners to sell, it would add partner services to its own sales catalogue. For example, it has adopted storage services from Nirvanix.

Clark said IBM would run most of its SmartCloud services out of its own data centres around the world.

He added several of its business partners were also considering becoming service providers – this could be particularly useful to EU customers concerned about handing over private data to a corporation subject to US legislation such as the Patriot Act. It would mean they could still use IBM services but have them hosted by a non-US company.