IBM BPM 7.5 – There is something for everyone!

IBM integrated their WebSphere BPM offerings and released a new product - IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) 7.5 late last week and. Here I was sitting with one of my BPM clients at lunch table earlier this week browsing the lunch menu, my client suddenly asked – What is this new product from IBM for business process management? Will I have to migrate to new BPM and how will my existing entitlements change post this upgrade?

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IBM 1Q11 - software revenue wows!

Key highlights

• Reported earnings of $2.9 billion, on revenue of $24.6 billion, up 8 percent from a year ago. Financial services revenue increased 14% YoY to $ 7.3 B.


• Software revenue was $5.3 billion, up 6 percent


• Middleware products revenue was $3.3 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago


• WebSphere Family YoY increase 51%


• Information Management YoY increase 13%


• Tivoli YoY increase 8%


• Rational YoY increase 5%


• Business Analytics revenue was up 20%


• Cloud revenue was up by a factor of 5% and Smarter Planet was up about 20%

Details: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34330.wss

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Cloud Computing Partner Classification-What type are you?

IBM enhanced its IBM WebSphere business integration software portfolio in early May 2010 after acquiring announced
Cast Iron Systems.  In Q3 2010, IBM reiterated its commitment towards its global ecosystems of business partners by launching first of its kind cloud computing lab in Hursley, United Kingdom.  IBM partners can access IBM's cloud technologies to develop and test new cloud services from IBM's network of 38 Innovation Centers worldwide.

Guess what? IBM has also classified its Cloud partners into six different categories based on partner needs (yes you heard it right, no more public & private cloud creator classification!)

Cloud Builders – Are partners viz systems integrators, hardware integrators and software integrators who build typically private clouds for their enterprise customers.

Cloud Infrastructure Providers – Are partners who own a data center or have some IT operations skills and want to build a public cloud. The list includes Value-added distributors, Value-added resellers, IT services companies, large Telcos and/or hosting providers,.

Cloud Application Providers – Are partners who develop business applications and delivers them as service via a cloud. This category primarily includes solution providers who develop applications.

Cloud Services Re-sellers – Are primarily the re-sellers of the services from public cloud providers viz SI, hardware or software re-sellers.

Cloud Technology Providers – Are partners who have the ability to extend the capabilities of other company’s cloud for example companies that provide automated tools to chargeback customers hosted in cloud.

Cloud Aggregators – Are partners who aggregate services from multiple clouds for their customers.

Here is what Dave Mitchell, Director of Strategy and Emerging Business at IBM has to say:

[youtube width="560" height="340"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5xEsnoHTyg&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

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IBM’s crystal ball Tech Predictions

Big Blue continued its annual tradition and released technology predictions after surveying its 3,000 researchers to find five ideas expected to take root within five years. The list includes (not in order of my preference though!)

1. Air-powered batteries – Rechargeable batteries that could use the air we breathe to react with energy-dense metal, eliminating a key inhibitor to longer lasting batteries.


2. 3D-enabled Smartphone – Will use special cameras that could be placed in cell phones in order to enable real-time video chat with a 3D hologram of friends and family


3. Adaptive traffic systems –Computer programs will use algorithms and real-time traffic information, traveler patterns and behavior to provide more dynamic travel safety and route information to travelers. Thereby avoiding traffic jams and shortening the commute time.


4. Citizen scientists – Technology that will allow communicating environmental information (generated by sensors in cars and phones) to help fight global warming, save endangered species or track invasive plants or animals that threaten ecosystems around the world


5. Cities powered by the heat thrown off by computer servers – IBM predicts to efficiently recycle the thermal energy from data centers to provide hot water for an office or houses using novel on-chip water-cooling systems developed by IBM.

Like we have seen in the past not all Big Blue predictions pan out as expected for example cell phones reading our minds by 2012, instant speech translation etc are still years away from reality.

I personally like IBM releasing its technology predictions in last few days of 2010 when everyone else is just taking about the year that went by (viz. person of the year 2010, gadget of the year 2010 etc)

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