How Ascendum Portugal partnered with IBM and Blue Chip to gain agility with IBM Power Virtual Server
Ascendum Portugal operates in a highly competitive industrial equipment and machinery distribution market, where operational reliability remains essential but is no longer sufficient on its own. As the business expanded and customer expectations evolved, the company recognized the need to support growth with greater agility and efficiency.
This evolution marked a new phase for the organization. The question was no longer simply whether systems were reliable, but whether Ascendum Portugal could remain agile without disrupting what was already working. Reliability had been mastered, adaptability was now the differentiator.
Sustaining competitiveness therefore required more than incremental adjustments. Ascendum Portugal needed to complement its strong technological foundation with a more streamlined and forward-looking operating model. Internal processes had to be mapped, optimized, and increasingly digitalized, while the technology platform had to support both stability and innovation. Without a clear strategy to evolve its infrastructure, the company faced the risk of higher operational friction, slower responses to market change, and constraints on future growth.
The challenge was strategic rather than corrective: how to modernize selectively, strengthening the organization’s ability to evolve while preserving stability as a nonnegotiable requirement. That’s when IBM entered the picture.
IBM® Power® has been the backbone of the organization’s core business for more than two decades. Originally selected for its robustness, the platform has remained central thanks to its ability to evolve in step with changing business needs.
This longstanding relationship shaped the company’s approach to transformation. Rather than moving away from a trusted foundation, the team chose to build on it, extending what already worked to support new requirements while maintaining continuity across core operations.
As part of this strategy, a new and strategically significant business unit was migrated to IBM Cloud®, extending the existing IBM Power environment to IBM Power Virtual Server. As Pedro Menezes, Chief Information Officer at Ascendum Portugal, explains, “IBM has been part of our technology foundation for more than 20 years. With IBM Power Virtual Server, we are able to protect the stability of our core systems while evolving to meet future business demands.”
The implementation was carried out in close collaboration with Blue Chip Portugal, an IBM Gold Partner. Working closely together, the teams simplified infrastructure management, optimized maintenance processes, and reduced operational complexity, enabling a more integrated and easier to manage hybrid environment.
By combining the stability of IBM Power Virtual Server with the scalability and advanced capabilities of IBM Cloud, the organization established a more adaptable technology foundation. This shift changed how operations are managed and how Ascendum Portugal prepares for what comes next.
Beyond financial considerations, the transformation reshaped day-to-day operations. Infrastructure maintenance became easier to manage through the partnership with Blue Chip Portugal, system reliability improved, and the organization gained greater visibility and control over its IT landscape. As Cláudia Vieira, Sales Specialist at Blue Chip Portugal, summarizes: “Our focus with Ascendum Portugal was to simplify the technology landscape while ensuring strong governance, resilience, and ease of management. This project shows how close collaboration and IBM technology can deliver long‑term business value.”
Today, Ascendum Portugal operates with greater confidence in its technology environment. The organization is better positioned to scale, respond more quickly to market demands, and make informed decisions, strengthening its competitive position in an increasingly demanding environment.
Ascendum Portugal is part of a global group delivering distribution and service capabilities for industrial equipment and machinery. The company is recognized for its operational discipline, technical expertise, and long-term partnerships with customers across diverse industries.
Bluechip Portugal is an IBM Gold Partner providing infrastructure, cloud, and security services to organizations operating critical IT environments. With a strong focus on personalized support, the company helps businesses simplify technology operations, manage IT more effectively, and protect their digital assets, aligning technical solutions with business goals and budget requirements.
Legal
© Copyright IBM Corporation June, 2026.
IBM, the IBM logo, and IBM Power, IBM Power Virtual Server and IBM Cloud are trademarks of IBM Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
Examples presented as illustrative only. Actual results will vary based on client configurations and conditions and, therefore, generally expected results cannot be provided.