IBM Serves a Private Cloud for the 2012 French Open

PARIS, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it is delivering a global private cloud computing system and services for the 2012 Roland-Garros (French Open) tennis tournament as part of its technology partnership with the international event.The IBM cloud technology is enabling the French Open to satisfy increasing tennis fan demand for real-time data, scores, statistics and videos accessible through the Web, smartphones and tablets such as the iPad.

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During the French Open, which runs through June 10, fan interest is expected to drive a 100x surge in visitors to the tournament Web site: www.rolandgarros.com. Throughout the tournament, IBM's SmartCloud infrastructure will help the site scale to meet the spike in demand from its global fan base, while delivering in-depth pre-match analysis  and real-time updates of action on the court. Following the tournament, IBM will help the French Open site scale down to support regular operations.

IBM is also applying advanced analytics and insight to transform the way fans watch and experience the French Open via IBM SlamTracker technology, which provides fans a better understanding of how an individual player needs to perform to do well in a match. SlamTracker brings scores, statistics and analysis to life for tennis fans by capturing, analyzing and visually rendering a range of important match data in real time. By clicking on a point on the SlamTracker match timeline, fans see the details behind that point so that they can better understand match highlights, turning points and player momentum. IBM SlamTracker is an extremely powerful data analysis tool that tennis fans can use during and after a match.

The versatile, fan-friendly environment is made possible by IBM's advanced cloud computing capabilities and services, which enable rapid creation and dynamic allocation of resources the tournament requires, while delivering transparent and real-time access to Internet, mobile, smartphones, tablets and television.

The IBM SmartCloud that supports the French Open site is comprised of a fleet of geographically dispersed servers in three locations virtualized as one, which enables the tournament to scale up and down to meet the changing demands from fans.

"The excitement of the tennis fan experience is  important to us, whether the fans are in the stands or watching from home, and we want to give a dynamic live experience for Roland-Garros," said Alex Loth, Event CIO at the Federation Francaise de Tennis. "The private cloud provides and analyzes the spikes of data during Roland-Garros to anyone in the world at any time without any excess demand affecting its quality or availability. This means fans can expect real-time access to more dynamic, content-rich matches even during the busiest periods of the competition."

The IBM cloud allows increased flexibility and scalability of the Roland-Garros IT infrastructure via dynamic provisioning of resources based on the tournament's needs. This delivers numerous benefits, including reduced operation costs and reliable operations.

In addition, the IBM Enterprise Cloud for Roland-Garros Development & Testing solution is used throughout the development and preparation phase of the tournament's Web site.

With more than 330 million page views in 2011, 37 million visits (vs. 31 million in 2010), and more than 11.2 million unique visitors (+21% compared to 2010), Roland-Garros Web site traffic is growing consistently year-to-year.

IBM offers private clouds which are secure and personalized to enterprises and support their transformation. Recently, Cegid, the first French software publisher, announced the signing of an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) contract allowing the company to operate its SaaS solutions in a dedicated IBM private cloud in France.

About IBM Cloud Computing

IBM has helped thousands of clients adopt cloud models and manages millions of cloud based transactions every day. IBM assists clients in areas as diverse as banking, communications, healthcare and government to build their own clouds or securely tap into IBM cloud-based business and infrastructure services. IBM is unique in bringing together key cloud technologies, deep process knowledge, a broad portfolio of cloud solutions, and a network of global delivery centers. For more information about IBM cloud solutions, visit www.ibm.com/smartcloud.

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Chris Andrews
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SOURCE IBM