IBM Opens Four Cloud Computing Centers

IBM opened four new cloud computing centers in emerging markets. They are in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bangalore, India; Seoul, Korea; and Hanoi, Vietnam, where there is an increasing demand for Internet-based computing models and skills to help companies compete in highly competitive environments. With previously opened centers in both emerging and mature markets, IBM now has 13 cloud computing centers, the world’s largest network of expertise on cloud computing.

At a time when organizations of all sizes are facing extreme data overload, skyrocketing energy costs, increasingly complex regulatory requirements and competition from more nimble economies, cloud computing is emerging as a significant shift across all industries. This computing model allows businesses and consumers alike to remotely access a vast computing resource that can be tapped on-demand to deliver next-generation services that consumers demand, like online medical records or mobile stock portfolio management. It also improves energy efficiency because of its principle as a shared infrastructure, and allows organizations to better track information, pay for what they use and access more computing, storage, services or applications on demand.

For nearly a year, IBM has been building cloud computing infrastructures for clients around the world and establishing cloud projects in IBM cloud computing environments. The centers are available for clients across multiple industries such as banking, telecommunications, government, education, and hosting services.

In Vietnam, universities, government ministries and telecommunication vendors are leaders in adopting new technology such as cloud computing, which helps to create new services. In Korea, the new center will provide architecture skills and pilot projects for industries such as banking, telecommunications, government, education, and information technology hosting services. In India, clients such as mid-market vendors, universities, telecommunications companies and government bodies will be able to access the center for the resources they need to pilot cloud infrastructures and applications, and deliver new services to their customers. Clients in Brazil will use the new center to generate business such as massive scale collaboration programs. As Internet users in Brazil acquire more mobility, cloud computing will make Web-based business operations more efficient.

Among the first customers to use the new centers is the Association for Promotion of Brazilian Software Excellence (SOFTEX). SOFTEX will conduct CONCERTO DE IDÉIAS, an unprecedented on-line event in Brazil. The purpose is to collect ideas for the 2009 – 2010 strategic plan for Brazil’s software industry. The event will be hosted by the center in Sao Paolo using IBM Idea Factory, a Web 2.0-based cloud computing platform that allows participation from any device at any time. Twenty-two agencies and 1,500 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that are members of SOFTEX will contribute ideas during this 72-hour event in early November.

"An effective innovation solution requires an information technology (IT) environment that can quickly respond to changes in demand. SOFTEX has chosen IBM cloud computing to help us promote collaboration," said Arnaldo Bacha, vice president of SOFTEX. "IBM Idea Factory accommodates innovation among our employees, customers and partners. It is the first step for SOFTEX to adopt this cutting-edge technology."

Vietnam Technology and Telecommunications (VNTT) is a customer of the IBM Cloud Computing Center in Vietnam. "We benefit from this center that provides training, consulting and support," said Nguyen Minh Tan, chief executive officer of VNTT. "Cloud computing brings the competitiveness we need in the local market where our customers expect world-class service from us."

"Cloud computing enables server-centric virtualization, which helps the IT ecosystem to achieve a smaller footprint, efficient resource utilization and server consolidation," said Professor Sanjay G. Dhande, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. "Enterprises are looking at alternate ways to support their dramatically increasing computing needs, one that will allow for massive scalability while providing an energy efficient and resilient infrastructure. Technology collaboration between IIT Kanpur and IBM India will drive new developments in computing to support academic advancement and economic development in India."

IBM has dedicated more than 200 full-time researchers and has announced $100 million investment in cloud computing. A global leader of massive-scale computing initiatives, IBM offers BlueCloud, a set of hardware, software and services.

"Cloud computing is emerging as a fundamental change in how IT is managed and delivered," said Dr. Willy Chiu, vice president of IBM High Performance On Demand Solutions. "It is a key element of the evolution to a New Enterprise Data Center, and a powerful tool for efficient operations, especially in growth economies."

Most recently, IBM announced new storage hardware, software and services, aimed at meeting the demands of cloud computing. Earlier this year, IBM established Europe’s first Cloud Computing Center in Dublin, Ireland, a center in Beijing, China; one in Johannesburg, South Africa; one in Tokyo, Japan and one in Raleigh, North Carolina. Over the past year, IBM has provided cloud computing services to clients such as Wuxi City of China; Sogeti, the Local Professional Services Division of Capgemini; the Vietnamese government institutions and universities; iTricity, a utility-based hosting service provider headquartered in the Netherlands; and the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

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