IBM is announcing a new agreement with
Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., to
deliver IBM’s market leading software to clients and developers.
The new “pay-as-you-go” model provides clients with access to
development and production instances of IBM DB2, Informix Dynamic
Server, WebSphere Portal Server, Lotus Web Content Management,
WebSphere sMash and Novell’s SUSE Linux operating system software
in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) environment,
providing a comprehensive portfolio of products available on
AWS.
What are the key components of this announcement?
There are four
key components of this announcement:
Availability of new IBM Development Amazon Machine
Images (AMIs) at no charge for development and test
purposes, enabling software developers to quickly build
pre-production applications based on IBM software within
Amazon EC2.
The IBM software images for full production running in
Amazon EC2 will be launched in beta in the coming months, with
pricing to be announced. All developers and customers will
have the operational capability to run development and
production instances of IBM software for an hourly price per
instance.
New licensing guidelines enabling customers to run
their already-purchased IBM software on Amazon EC2
The launch of the Cloud Computing for Developers space
on developerWorks as the focal point for developers to access
resources and tools to build cloud services.
The Development AMIs are
available for the development and testing of commercially
available network delivered applications or Software as a Service
applications for end users in the marketplace. Initially,
Development AMIs will be available for IBM DB2, Informix Dynamic
Server, WebSphere Portal, Lotus Web Content Management, WebSphere
sMash.
What are the Production AMIs and how do they differ from IBM
Development AMIs?
The Production AMIs can be used for all
development and production purposes. Unlike the IBM Development
AMIs they can be used for revenue generating activities and can be
used by all developers and customers. The Production AMIs include
the IBM software, the Novell SuSe operating system and the Amazon
EC2 service for a single hourly charge per instance.
When will they be available?
Amazon Web Services will announce the
availability of the Production AMIs in the coming months.
What are the charges for the Productions AMIs?
Charges will be
announced by Amazon Web Services in the coming months
Who am I paying for the Production AMIs?
All charges are billed by
Amazon Web Services and use of service is governed by Amazon Web
Services. Customers pay a single hourly rate for the IBM software,
Novell operating system and EC2 Service.
Can I download Production AMIs to run on my own environment?
No.
AMIs can only be run on Amazon Web Services. No downloads are
permitted.
What support is available for the Production AMIs
Initially the
Production AMIs will be offered as a beta service. Plans to offer
optional premium support offering later in the year.
The
Cloud Computing for Developers
space on
IBM developerWorks
is a single place for developers to access the Development AMIs
and a wide range of resources and tools to help developers,
including extensive user guides. IBM’s perspective on cloud
computing and our various cloud offerings are also present
How do I find the Cloud Computing for Developers space?
Why are IBM and Amazon Web Services working together?
IBM and
Amazon Web Services are responding to customer demand to make IBM
software available on AWS. This relationship provides customers
and developers with unprecedented options for building and
delivering solutions on IBM software.
How does this partnership fit into IBM's broader cloud strategy?
IBM has a four-pronged strategy to capture the cloud computing
opportunity by: 1) delivering its own cloud services portfolio; 2)
helping ISVs and developers design, build, deliver and market
cloud services; 3) helping clients integrate cloud services into
their business; and 4) providing cloud computing environments to
businesses. The Amazon AWS EC2 partnership primarily supports the
second prong but can potentially support other aspects of IBM’s
strategy.
What is the target market for these offering?
These offerings are
primarily designed to help small and medium sized business,
startups, academics, business partners and developers take
advantage of the benefits of cloud computing.
What are the future plans for this relationship?
Based on adoption
of initial AMIs, IBM and Amazon Web Services plan to roll out
additional Development and Production AMIs and support options for
developers and customers.
