IBM Launches Enterprise Cloud Services

IBM this week unveiled cloud-based services for enterprises that can be hosted or run on a customer's premises, or a hybrid of the two.

Big Blue, which in recent months has talked up its strategy to offer so-called private cloud services, said it will offer its Smart Business platform through three basic models. Two of them fall under Smart Business Services, delivered either through a pure hosted cloud service or as a managed private cloud offering behind an enterprise firewall.

The third, a turnkey platform called CloudBurst v1.1 that consists of an integrated hardware and software solution for private clouds, will be offered through IBM's Smart Business Systems. With a starting price of $207,000, CloudBurst will comprise a pre-configured package of x86-based blade servers; networking, storage and virtualization hardware and software; and Tivoli Service Automation Manager (TSAM), its platform to provision cloud services, according to James Comfort, IBM's vice president of integrated delivery platforms, in an interview.

"You can think of it as an OS for the cloud, but in reality, whether it's internal to your business or external or a combination, what is constant is the simplification on the user side of service consumption and on the delivery side of service automation or service delivery," Comfort said. "We don't think of it as cloud computing as much as service management and service delivery."

Under CloudBurst, IBM is offering two specific offerings, which will be augmented by others in the future, Comfort said. One is a hosted client to provide managed desktop deployment through the cloud, and the other is a platform for developers to test applications using IBM's Rational tool suite as well as Eclipse-based IDEs.

The latter offering, called Smart Business Test Cloud, is intended for development shops looking for an alternative to deploying hardware for testing, according to Comfort. "In the past, this process could take weeks or months," he said. "What we are offering can take this down to minutes." It joins the recently released WebSphere CloudBurst Appliance.

The new offering consists of a self-service portal and catalog that offers a pre-determined list of tools that developers can choose from, Comfort said. It also supports automatic provisioning and de-provisioning of capacity.

RedMonk analyst Michael Cote said in an interview that there is pent-up demand for services that allow developers to configure capacity on the fly, particularly for configuration and testing. "When you're developing software, you don't want to spend a lot of time managing the tools you are using to build software," Cote said. "The hope is that it removes the need to administer those tools and a lot of the hassle that comes with managing the tools you use on large software development projects."

The other service is called Smart Business Desktop Cloud and provides a centralized image for Windows or Linux client systems. The thin client offering is based on software and hardware from Citrix, Desktone, Quest, VMware and Wyse, IBM said.

About the Author

Jeffrey Schwartz is executive editor, features, for Redmond Developer News. You can contact him at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI toolbox containing a wrench, document icon, gears, and a network symbol

    Common Sense Media Releases Free AI Toolkit, AI Readiness & Implementation Guides

    Common Sense Media has developed an AI Toolkit for School Districts, available to educators free of charge, that provides guidelines and resources for implementing AI in education.

  • elementary school building with children outside, overlaid by a glowing data network and transparent graphs

    Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

    With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.