IBM and CSC, a technology services provider, are building on their existing alliance to help customers accelerate cloud transitions. The vendors will offer a set of cloud solutions, app development and infrastructure management, and a Center of Excellence (CoE) offering, integration with IBM's SoftLayer, and consulting services.
The CoE will offer IBM solutions and platforms, including IBM Cloud’s SoftLayer infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and Bluemix, IBM’s open cloud platform for development of web and mobile applications.
CSC will also provide applications management services to clients for IBM-designed apps, as well as extend app development as-a-service to IBM mainframe z environments. Additionally, CSC will add IBM’s DevOps tools to its portfolio for more rapid and accurate app development, and establish a global testing practice for IBM Rational services virtualization.
“Enhancing our partnership with IBM strengthens CSC’s strategy to modernize, mobilize, integrate, secure and manage the evolving global application ecosystem and our ability to helping clients transition to the hybrid cloud,” said Jim Smith, executive vice president & general manager for CSC Global Business Services. “By collaborating, CSC and IBM can ensure that clients put the right information into the right employee hands at the right time wherever they may be. Clients will benefit from greater choice, operational agility, cost savings, and integration flexibility when they become cloud-empowered enterprises.”
The CoE will provide advisory services for customers adopting IBM technology and will support joint solution-definition, applications integration, sales and delivery activities. CSC customers will have access to standardized CSC-designed solutions built on IBM cloud and mobility platforms, as well as integration solutions to support the addition of IBM mobile and Big Data and Analytics solutions.
The alliance will boost compatibility of SoftLayer IaaS with CSC’s ServiceMesh Agility Platform, intended to help end users simplify and standardize the deployment, integration, and management of solutions built on SoftLayer, an IBM company, Bluemix and other cloud environments. The agreement also features the future addition of CSC’s ServiceMesh Agility Platform to the IBM Cloud Marketplace, which enables developers, IT managers and business leaders to learn, try and buy software and services from IBM and its partners.
CSC also said it plans to certify up to 2,000 consultants, project managers, architects and developers over three years on selected IBM technologies such as SoftLayer and Bluemix cloud services, as well as IBM developer and integration tools such as WebSphere and Cast Iron.
CSC will offer elements of the IBM MobileFirst application development portfolio as-a-service, combining CSC’s mobility services with IBM technologies to bring clients rapid and creative mobile app development, as well as strategies to secure mobile devices and data. With standardization on the IBM MobileFirst portfolio already underway, CSC soon will launch a mobile healthcare program for its Lorenzo healthcare software product, and is planning similar mobile programs in the banking and insurance markets.
For more on the CSC – IBM alliance, go to www.csc.com/global_alliances/alliances/32238-ibm.