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IBM joins party in the clouds

Big Blue's Global Business Services unveils several cloud-computing initiatives, ranging from consulting and implementation services to a validation program.

Dawn Kawamoto Former Staff writer, CNET News
Dawn Kawamoto covered enterprise security and financial news relating to technology for CNET News.
Dawn Kawamoto

IBM on Monday unveiled consulting and implementation services for cloud computing, as well as a related validation program.

Cloud computing is designed to cut costs for companies by moving such functions as data storage, security, and enterprise applications onto the Internet. A company can control its own cloud system, outsource it in its entirety, or adopt a hybrid model.

IBM Global Business Services, seeking to capitalize on the rising popularity of Internet-based storage and computing, will oversee the company's cloud-consulting services, aiming to provide customers with assessments as to whether building their own so-called cloud, or transferring data and applications to a hybrid private-public cloud or a public cloud would be most cost-effective. It plans to aid customers in installing, configuring, and delivering cloud-computing services in the data center.

IBM on Monday also unveiled a Resilient Cloud Validation program to provide customers with a means to validate the reliability of third-party partners who deliver applications and services via remote servers.