IBM Smart Cloud

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Platform as a service (PaaS)
Reinventing application development

IBM's platform-as-a-service—IBM SmartCloud Application Services—delivers a secure, collaborative cloud-based environment that supports a full lifecycle of accelerated application development, deployment and delivery.

Deploy a new app during lunch hour and still have time for lunch

The multifaceted potential of platform as a service (PaaS) from IBM

The multifaceted potential of IBM PaaS (00:04:08)

  • Enjoy middleware as a service
  • Get web applications to market faster
  • Migrate easily to public and private clouds

Confident inspired celebrating business people Get a jump on the competition with the SmartCloud Application Services pilot program. Learn more (US). Register for the pilot program

IBM SmartCloud Application Services

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Application Environments

Accelerate deployment with ready-to-run environments

Application environments provide "middleware as a service" with powerful policy-based management and scaling to accelerate application deployments.

  • Deploy an app to the cloud in minutes
  • Use predefined or custom-built patterns
  • Use best-in-class open Java support

Application Workload Services provide cloud-based access to IBM middleware virtual images and patterns, and is based on proven technology from IBM Workload Deployer (US).

What is a pattern?

Patterns are templates that define middleware and virtual machine configurations for deploying applications that:

  • Use pre-configured patterns or your own
  • Deploy environments quickly without errors
  • Feature policy-based automatic scaling

Accelerate deployment with ready-to-run-environments

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Application resources

Reduce complexity with database as a service

Application resources provide a central, shared service for common application and middleware resources, like database as a service.

  • Create a new database server in minutes
  • Grow databases as needed with no CapEx
  • Maintain database resources in hours

Database as a service enables you to deploy database resources with fast self service - so you can respond quicker - and is based on IBM's proven DB2 Enterprise Server technology (US).

Reduce complexity with database as a service

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Application lifecycle

Increase productivity with team-based development

Collaborative Lifecycle Management provides a real-time cloud-based collaborative platform for software development and delivery that improves productivity and time to delivery.

  • Set up a team development environment in hours
  • Use cloud-based collaboration for DevOps
  • Configure tools in minutes, rather than days

Based on proven IBM Collaborative Lifecycle Management, our pay-as-you-go service coordinates activities across business and system requirements, design, development, build, test and delivery.

Increase productivity with team-based development

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Application management

Take advantage of SAP on the cloud efficiencies

Our SAP on the cloud application management service deploys your critical SAP workloads to the cloud for increased efficiency and agility.

  • Automates labor-intensive SAP tasks
  • Features a library of SAP base images
  • Reduces SAP costs by approx. 30%

Packaged Application Management for SAP handles complicated tasks like change management, cloning for upgrade, and rapid back-up of sites - and is based on proven IBM Cloud Solutions for SAP (US).

Take advantage of SAP on the cloud efficiencies

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Integration

Synchronize data across on-premise and cloud apps

Integrate cloud-delivered applications with other applications and resources, whether on-premise or in the cloud, without custom coding or manual processes.

  • Use standard and custom connectors
  • Integrate cloud and on-premise apps
  • Synchronize data and processes

SmartCloud Application Services integration provides a central, configurable cloud-based integration engine for simple, easy and seamless integration, powered by WebSphere Cast Iron Cloud Integration (US).

Synchronise data across on-premise and cloud

What can application services do for you?

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Independent software vendors

  • Integrate cloud-delivered applications with other applications and resources, whether on-premise or in the cloud, without custom coding or manual processes
  • Respond quickly to market demands by developing and managing cloud applications with scalable, rapidly deployed database as a service
  • Use trusted IBM brand equity to instill confidence with cloud customers

Reach a broader audience

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Developers & IT managers

Developers

  • Write code and develop applications quickly and seamlessly using a team-based, collaborative cloud development environment with Collaborative Lifecycle Management
  • Ensure communication and interoperability between applications easily – whether on-premise or cloud – and increase business value with integration

IT managers

  • Streamline deployment of enterprise applications using proven, repeatable patterns with Application Workload Services
  • Automate SAP tasks and reduce costs with packaged application management
  • Respond quickly by developing cloud applications with scalable, rapidly deployed resources such as database as a service

Collaborate like never before

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Line of business managers

  • Improve the quality of SAP production management and reduce costs and lead times with SAP on the cloud
  • Automate labor-intensive SAP management tasks with a library of SAP base images that reduce SAP costs by approximately 30%

Automate to reduce costs

Build a smarter cloud with IBM SmartCloud

Deliver PaaS from your private cloud

IBM PureApplication System is an expert integrated solution that uses the same IBM PaaS technology used in SmartCloud Application Services.

Use IBM infrastructure as a service

SmartCloud Application Services automatically deploys virtual resources to SmartCloud Enterprise, IBM's IaaS.

Blog posts on PaaS


PaaS resources

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What is PaaS?

Platform as a service (PaaS) provides a cloud-based platform for building and running software applications without the cost and difficulty of buying and managing the underlying infrastructure. PaaS promises faster, more cost-effective application development and delivery. PaaS is supported by infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and is a key enabler for software as a service (SaaS).

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DevOps and IBM PaaS

DevOps recognises that successful application development today requires intimate multi-departmental collaboration. SmartCloud Application Services help bridge the gap between development/test and operations processes. Collaborative tools support the DevOps agile service delivery approach, accelerating application deployment from weeks to minutes.

  • Develop applications using Rational Application Developer (RAD) with Collaborative Lifecycle Management service
  • Deploy from RAD using SmartCloud Provisioning to the public cloud, IBM SmartCloud Enterprise, or to your private cloud via IBM Optimised Systems
  • Eliminate bottlenecks and accelerate the collaboration between development/test and operations with a lifecycle dashboard view of application status

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PaaS FAQs

What does PaaS offer my enterprise?

PaaS accelerates the development and deployment of web applications by simplifying the installation, setup, configuration and support for operating systems, middleware and application tools. PaaS allows enterprises to focus on building better applications faster, rather than being distracted by the complexity of middleware and infrastructure. Most important, organisations using PaaS retain the ability to customise their applications (which cannot be done with applications consumed in a SaaS model) while enjoying the economy, flexibility, scalability and rapid time to value that cloud enables.

What are the benefits of IBM SmartCloud Application Services?

Benefits include

  • More flexibility and control with an on-demand, pay-as-you-go model
  • Increased agility due to self-service access to application development tools, middleware and databases, all optimised to run on virtual infrastructure
  • Simplified deployment and management of applications with automatic scaling that adds capacity based on load
  • Accelerated time to value by using rapidly-deployed, flexible and scalable resources that empower efficient application development in the cloud

What’s the difference between infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and PaaS?

IaaS focuses on cloud-based delivery of base IT infrastructure and services, including servers (with virtual machines and operating systems), storage, network and security.

PaaS focuses on delivering application development and deployment services, including cloud-based application development and lifecycle management, application environments for running workloads, application resources (like databases) delivered as a service, and cloud-based application packages for CRM, ERP and supply-chain applications.

IBM SmartCloud Application Services hide the complexity of the infrastructure underneath the platform services by managing the virtual machines, storage, network and data centre facilities behind the scenes. This allows users to focus on developing, deploying and managing better applications with powerful cloud-based application services.

How does PaaS from IBM, SmartCloud Application Services, compare to competitors, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Beanstalk and Oracle Public Cloud?

IBM is the only provider of cloud services that offers all of the following:

  • Enterprise-grade security
  • Open Java support
  • Cross-platform support without fear of vendor lock-in
  • Comprehensive application infrastructure and managed services that enable accelerated development and deployment of applications to the cloud
  • Years of experience managing and hosting mission-critical enterprise applications

What makes IBM SmartCloud Application Services, the PaaS platform from IBM, particularly attractive to CIOs?

CIOs like the fact that we offer enterprise-grade security, open Java support, cross-platform support with no vendor lock-in, and a comprehensive set of application infrastructure and managed services that enable accelerated development and deployment of applications to the cloud.

What does IBM SmartCloud Application Services offer to application development managers and enterprise application developers?

Application development managers will be interested in the remote workstation option, which will allow them to utilise a suite of hosted application development tools to design, develop, maintain and manage releases of application coding in the cloud.

IBM SmartCloud Application Services will run Java EE enterprise applications. Enterprise application developers can easily use our virtual application template to model an enterprise application, saving significant time and cost with pre-installed, pre-configured application servers, database servers, and powerful new IBM patterns (templates for multi-server environments deployed as integrated, atomic units) that streamline enterprise application deployment to the cloud.

Why will independent software vendors (ISVs) want to use a PaaS offering like IBM SmartCloud Application Services?

ISVs will be able to develop code quickly and seamlessly within a global team-based environment. They’ll also be able to reduce costs by provisioning infrastructure as needed and by integrating with existing applications or resources, whether on-premise or in the cloud.