IBM picks Red Hat as one of its cloud computing offerings

Posted Mar. 17, 2010 at 7:52 a.m.

IBM picks Red Hat as one of its cloud computing offerings

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RALEIGH, N.C. – IBM (NYSE: IBM) is one of the world’s biggest technology players that is making a significant effort in the still-emerging field of cloud computing. And on Tuesday it picked Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) as a partner.

Big Blue said it will use Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization as evaluates and tests cloud solutions for clients who are seeking to capitalize on the capabilities and potential cost savings of collaborative computing. (For more about Red Hat and the cloud, read here.)

IBM plans to allow users to develop and test software solutions in a cloud environment as part of its IBM Cloud and the Smart Business Development and Test. (For more about IBM and cloud computing, read here.)

Cloud computing enables PCs and hardware to be used collaboratively across networks, plus clients can boost bandwidth, PC and server capacity on demand.

Virtualization technology allows multiple operating systems to be used on the same piece of hardware.

IBM, which employs some 10,000 people in the Triangle area, also recently opened a massive new data center in RTP that is designed to support cloud efforts.

The IBM selection is another win for Raleigh-based Red Hat, which recently was selected by the Symbian Foundation for cloud services. Symbian is an open operating system used for smart phones.

Last week, the Swedish Internet firm Voddler selected Red Hat for virtualization services.

However, IBM is coming a bit late to the cloud competing space.

“Big Blue still has to contend with a market that moves very fast,” noted SearchCloudComputing.com. “Amazon Web Services has reportedly launched more than 23 million servers to date, and other service providers of every stop have jumped into cloud computing. IBM may need a long runway to get off the ground, but it clearly has an audience.”

A partnership offering between Red Hat and IBM in cloud computing is an expansion of a relationship that dates back 11 years with IBM often supporting Red Had Linux.

“Our decade-long partnership with Red Hat has always been focused on customer value and innovation,” said Maria Azua, vice president for Cloud Computing Enablement at IBM. “Today, we are extending this partnership to include cloud computing – broadening our reach and answering the strong customer demand for cloud computing services.”

Red Hat first launched virtualization in February 2009.

“We believe that combining Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization software with IBM's server, storage and network hardware, plus IBM's well-known enterprise support and services, as the foundational components of IBM's cloud infrastructure offers a compelling application environment for customers,” said Scott Crenshaw, general manager for cloud computing at Red Hat.

Tags: Red Hat, IBM

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