IBM Expands Cloud Computing Capabilities With New Cloud Competence Center in Ehningen, Germany

EHNINGEN, Germany and ARMONK, N.Y., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a new IBM Cloud Computing Competence Center in Ehningen, Germany, which will provide a broad range of cloud solutions and services to clients locally and internationally.  Located in Ehningen, Germany, home to IBM's largest data center in Europe, the new facility will host a range of technology platforms and optimized service delivery processes, enabling its clients to harness the immense potential offered by cloud computing.

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"The opening of this center places IBM in a strong position to meet the growing demand for cloud solutions and services in the market," said Michael Diemer, general manager, Global Technology Services, IBM Germany. "Meeting the highest standards of technological innovation and data security -- which is vital to clients in sensitive areas such as insurance, banking and the public sector -- the new facility joins our Cloud Delivery Center in IBM Raleigh, North Carolina as part of our globally integrated cloud delivery network.  It will offer local and international clients world-class secure and cost effective cloud capabilities to meet their fast-changing business needs."

The center will also provide clients access to IBM's emerging portfolio of standardised cloud services.  These include:

• IBM Smart Business Desktop Cloud - The service provides anytime, anywhere access to applications, information and resources, and deliver a resilient and secure, standards-based desktop environment behind a client's firewall.
• IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud - A fully managed pre-priced subscription service that delivers desktop virtualization in a hosted environment reducing total cost of ownership, easier management and enhanced data security.
• IBM Smart Business Development and Test on the IBM Cloud - The service allows clients to expand internal development and test efforts with instant access to resources through IBM's secure, scalable cloud delivery model, software and image lifecycle management capabilities.  IBM's enterprise-friendly approach to cloud complements clients' existing data center and development investments.

IBM is working with a range of business partners across cloud management, security, software development and testing support.  As a result, IBM can offer clients flexibility, scalability, enterprise-grade security and control for development and test on the IBM Cloud.  By co-operating with Novell for example, IBM has SUSE Linux enterprise components available and can offer its enterprise customers a full range of Novell capabilities for smart development and workload testing services.

In March 2008, IBM opened its first European Cloud Computing Center in Dublin, Ireland, focusing on client innovation and cloud research activities.

IBM predicts that the market for cloud computing will grow by around 28 percent a year in the period 2008-2012, from $47 billion to $126 billion US dollars.

For more information about IBM's cloud computing products and services, please visit www.ibm.com/cloud.

SOURCE IBM