IBM takes cloud software, services to OpenStack
IBM announced today that its entire array of cloud software and services will be based on the open cloud architecture, allowing end-users and customers to buy various equipment from contributing members of the OpenStack software group without having to face tie-in with one particular vendor.
OpenStack is open-source software and services designed for cloud computing services.
The cloud and server company said that the move was to "ensure innovation in cloud computing is not hampered by locking businesses into proprietary islands of unsecured and difficult-to-manage offerings," which are the very foundation principles of using the OpenStack standards.
With Dell, HP, Seagate and Rackspace, among others, on the list of about 150 members supporting the OpenStack standards, the hope is that this community of companies will help create a range of products and services that reduce lock-in and prevent the need for customers to deal with only one supplier.
With Amazon Web Services taking the bulk of the cloud computing market, pushing into the business market with full force, IBM is still a much smaller player in the field. In a line, IBM explains that it can help compete with rivals by simply refocusing its core principles towards the customer's needs and little more: "For the first time, businesses have a core set of open source-based technologies to build enterprise-class cloud services that can be ported across hybrid cloud environments."
The company's new software, IBM SmartCloud Orchestrator, which manages public and private resources across the range of vendors, allows for quick deployments of various cloud services by lining up compute, storage and network resources in a simple-to-use interface.
OpenStack was initially formed by NASA and Rackspace, and has since grown to include a number of key storage, network and server partners.