IBM - often referred to as "Big Blue" - and Microsoft have joined forces to offer enterprise hybrid cloud solutions. The move is intended to ensure the wider availability of cloud-based products and services at lower costs and help both corporations' customers have more means available to build and deploy cloud environments. The agreement will mean both sets of enterprise customers can utilize Relevant Products/Services licenses for both IBM and Microsoft clouds.
The news comes in the wake of IBM's warning to investors that it would experience reduced earnings this quarter - the first such occasion since 2002. The partnership with Microsoft will see tighter integration of IBM's offerings with Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and help extend the footprint of IBM's cloud and consulting services. The agreement may also prove to be the precursor to the company reinventing itself, as called for Ginni Rometty, the corporation's CEO.
Both Microsoft and IBM are iconic global IT players. Established in 1975, Microsoft is a software and cloud-based solutions provider while IBM offers a wide range of open cloud solutions that allow its customers to establish hybrid clouds. The company recently purchased SoftLayer for $2 billion to strengthen its cloud presence.
Through the partnership, IBM's range of middleware solutions (such as WebSphere Liberty, MQ and DB2) will be available through Microsoft Azure and charged for (by Microsoft) using a pay-per-use model. IBM also intends to extend the availability of software that runs on Windows Server Hyper-V. Its Pure Application Service will also become available through Azure.
Through the partnership, IBM's range of middleware solutions (such as WebSphere Liberty, MQ and DB2) will be available through Microsoft Azure and charged for (by Microsoft) using a pay-per-use model. IBM also intends to extend the availability of software that runs on Windows Server Hyper-V. Its Pure Application Service will also become available through Azure.
"Together we are creating new opportunities to drive innovation in hybrid cloud," explained IBM's Senior Vice President, Software and Cloud Solutions Group, Robert LeBlanc in a joint statement on the IBM website. "This agreement reinforces IBM's strategy in providing open cloud technology for the enterprise. Clients will now gain unprecedented access to IBM's leading middleware and will have an even greater level of choice over the tools that they use to build and deploy their cloud environments."
"Microsoft is committed to helping enterprise customers realize the tremendous benefits of cloud computing across their own systems, partner clouds and Microsoft Azure," added Microsoft Executive Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise, Scott Guthrie. "With this agreement more customers will be able to take advantage of the hyper-scale, enterprise performance and hybrid capabilities of Azure."
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