Innovations and momentum from IBM and VMware accelerate enterprise cloud adoption

In my previous post, I discussed the evolving enterprise cloud landscape and how the conversation in IT departments has shifted from “why cloud” to “which cloud.”

There’s no question that businesses want secure and simple access to cloud-native services such as AI, data and analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and a serverless infrastructure. And they want to manage their data in geographically strategic locations.

That’s where the partnership between IBM and VMware comes to life. For more than 18 months, IBM and VMware have been working together to enable businesses to use a common operating environment spanning VMware-based, on-premises data centers and IBM Cloud. This not only has helped countless enterprises accelerate cloud adoption, but has also spurred the creation of new business opportunities.

We have already helped more than 1,400 enterprises transition their VMware environments to IBM Cloud, including Honeywell International, Syniverse, Vodafone and Telstra to name just a few. We have launched VMware solutions across the nearly 60 IBM data centers worldwide; enabled channel partners to create a one-stop shop for IBM Cloud for VMware solutions; prepared more than 4,000 IBM global services professionals to support VMware on IBM Cloud; and created a broad ecosystem of technology partners including F5 Networks, Fortinet, HyTrust, Intel, Veeam, Zerto and more.

Today at VMworld Europe, IBM and VMware each made announcements that further this strategic partnership and support continued adoption of IBM Cloud for VMware solutions. Highlights include:

• – IBM is a key design partner and one of the first partners to adopt VMware’s HCX technologies, which delivers secure and seamless interoperability and mobility between IBM Cloud and any VMware-based cloud with no downtime.
• – IBM is making available VMware Horizon Cloud, the next generation of virtual desktop and application cloud services, in the fourth quarter of 2017 to customers on the IBM Cloud as a fully cloud-hosted service which IBM manages end-to-end.
• – New, SAP-certified bare metal servers are now available in the IBM Cloud, including the first SAP-certified configurations for VMware environments and larger cloud solutions with up to 8 terabytes of memory for data-intensive SAP applications.
• – IBM Cloud is one of the first of a new class of partners carrying the VMware Cloud Verified trust mark, which identifies providers that fuel business growth by driving innovation, improving efficiency and lowering costs for customers as they transform application portfolios for a multi-cloud, multi-device world.
• – F5 Networks and Fortinet are joining the ecosystem of technology partners supporting IBM Cloud for VMware solutions with network control and visibility solutions that will be available in the IBM Cloud in the fourth quarter.

Further building on this momentum, today IBM and Dell EMC announced an expanded partnership to resell IBM Cloud for VMware solutions. Now, Dell EMC’s ecosystem of commercial and enterprise clients can seamlessly move their VMware workloads to the IBM Cloud.

Together, IBM and VMware are helping to address the key challenges facing enterprises as they journey to the cloud.

Watch the replay of David Kenny, IBM Senior Vice President for Watson and Cloud, and Pat Gelsinger, CEO of VMware, discussing these exciting milestones and innovations onstage at VMworld Europe 2017.