Speeds adoption of cloud technologies and innovative business
applications enabled by 5G, Edge and Software Defined
Networking
LONDON, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) and Vodafone Business today announced that they are
creating a new venture designed to help companies across
Europe and beyond deliver
innovation faster and succeed in a digital world.
Building on more than two decades of collaboration between the
two companies, IBM and Vodafone have entered into a new strategic
commercial agreement. It will provide clients with the open,
flexible technologies they need to integrate multiple clouds and
prepare for the next wave of digital transformation enabled by AI,
5G, edge and Software Defined Networking (SDN).
With more than 70 percent of organisations today using up to 15
cloud environments as they strive to access powerful new digital
solutions and services*, the interconnectivity of clouds and the
vulnerability of data have become global issues. Together, IBM and
Vodafone Business will help companies remove the complexity and
barriers from their technology choices and ensure that data and
applications flow freely and securely across their
organizations.
Under the new venture, Vodafone Business customers will
immediately have access to the full portfolio of IBM's cloud
offerings, underpinned by IBM's deep industry expertise and open
technologies.
As part of the agreement, IBM will provide managed services to
Vodafone Business' cloud and hosting unit, in an eight-year
engagement valued at approximately $550
million (€480 million). Customers will benefit from IBM's
optimisation, automation and cognitive capabilities which help them
to run their business effectively in a cloud environment.
The new venture will co-develop new digital solutions, combining
the strengths of Vodafone's leadership in IoT, 5G and edge
computing with IBM's multicloud, industry expertise and
professional services capabilities.
"IBM has built industry-leading hybrid cloud, AI and security
capabilities underpinned by deep industry expertise," said IBM
Chairman, President and CEO Ginni
Rometty. "Together, IBM and Vodafone will use the power of
the hybrid cloud to securely integrate critical business
applications, driving business innovation – from agriculture to
next-generation retail."
"Vodafone has successfully established its cloud business to
help our customers succeed in a digital world," said Vodafone CEO
Nick Read. "This strategic venture
with IBM allows us to focus on our strengths in fixed and mobile
technologies, whilst leveraging IBM's expertise in multicloud, 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 convergence of multicloud and connectivity promises to speed
decision-making, enhance automation and personalize experiences for
end users in any location – even some of the most remote. For
example, in the past, innovating on an oil rig would have been a
challenge due to lack of connectivity and disparate IT systems.
Today, thanks to edge computing and IoT technologies from Vodafone
working with the latest AI and augmented reality applications from
IBM, engineers will be able to pinpoint and resolve faults on
equipment in minutes rather than hours, potentially saving millions
in lost productivity.
Combining the capabilities of two industry leaders under one
roof with dedicated executive leaders from both companies, the new
venture is designed to act like a start-up and be responsive to
rapidly changing market and customer demands. New digital solutions
and services will be built using the latest agile
methodologies.
The new venture will be operational in the first half of
2019.
Notes
*IBM Institute of Business Value: Assembling
Your Cloud Orchestra:
https://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/thoughtleadership/cloudlibrary.html
Analyst Quotes
"To deliver multi-cloud strategies in
the real world, enterprises need to invest at many levels, ranging
from cloud connectivity to cloud governance and management. This
new venture between Vodafone and IBM addresses the 'full stack' of
real-world multi-cloud concerns with a powerful combination of
capabilities that should enable customers to deliver multi-cloud
strategies in all layers of their organizations. IBM's acquisition
of Red Hat and Vodafone's emerging 5G technologies have the
potential to amplify the value further and help enterprises ready
themselves for the innovations of tomorrow. We estimate the global
cloud market (hardware, software, services) to be worth
$420 billion in 2019. If you add to
that the global cloud connectivity market which is worth
$2 billion, the combined market
opportunity here is huge." Carla
Arend, Senior Program Director, European Software,
IDC
"This is an era of unprecedented disruption with companies
having to react fast to new competitors and business models as well
to changing economic and political landscapes. Companies need
choice, speed and flexibility. For this reason, the cloud market
needs more diversity and more ventures like this. IBM and Vodafone
are getting ahead of the game and by coming together are striving
to make it easier for businesses to use any cloud, any data, any
workload in any location - this could open up huge possibilities
for the enterprise." Roy Illsley,
Distinguished Analyst Infrastructure Solutions, Ovum
Assets
Video:
To view a talking heads video about the new venture, please visit:
https://youtu.be/LBRLbTfSoBs
Animated Film
To view an animated film about the new venture, visit:
https://youtu.be/aMa9Z2hTJ1s
About Vodafone Business
For more information about
Vodafone Business, visit: https://www.vodafone.com/business
About IBM
For more information about IBM, visit:
https://www.ibm.com
Contacts:
Jonathan Jessop
Batty, IBM
jjbatty@ibm.com
Danielle Restivo, Vodafone
Business
danielle.restivo@vodafone.com
Photo -
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Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809829/IBM_LOGO.jpg