IBM and Vodafone Business have formed a strategic commercial partnership to provide European and global clients with open, flexible technologies that simplify multi-cloud integration and prepare organizations for the next wave of digital transformation driven by AI, 5G, edge computing and software-defined networking (SDN).
As organizations adopt an increasing number of cloud environments, connectivity between clouds and protection of data have become top concerns. More than 70% of organizations now use up to 15 different cloud environments as they pursue powerful digital solutions and services. This new venture aims to remove complexity and barriers from technology selection, enabling secure, efficient movement of data and applications across environments.
Under the agreement, Vodafone Business customers will gain immediate access to IBM’s full portfolio of cloud offerings. Vodafone Business’s cloud and hosting unit will receive IBM services valued at £425 million over an eight-year term. Leveraging IBM’s optimization, automation and cognitive capabilities will help customers operate more efficiently in cloud environments. By combining multi-cloud and connectivity services, organizations can accelerate decision-making, increase automation and deliver more personalized experiences for remote users.
Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone, said: “This strategic venture with IBM allows us to focus on our strengths in fixed and mobile technologies while leveraging IBM’s expertise in multi-cloud, AI and services. Through this new venture we’ll accelerate our growth and deepen engagement with our customers while driving radical simplification and efficiency in our business.”
The venture was scheduled to begin operations in the first half of 2019.
This collaboration builds on earlier cooperation between the two companies. Two years prior, IBM and Vodafone signed an agreement enabling enterprises to move VMware-based workloads between a Vodafone Hosted Private Cloud and the IBM Cloud. That service let Vodafone customers deploy and relocate VMware workloads globally with greater speed, scale and confidence. It was designed to reduce latency by placing applications closer to users while keeping data protected within Vodafone’s secure global network.
Interested in learning more about developments in edge computing and related technologies? Consider attending events and conferences where industry leaders discuss the evolving edge computing ecosystem and its practical applications.