IBM’s Systems and Technology Group Pitches Servers, Storage, Services to Partners

At the IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference Feb. 25 to 28, Rod Adkins, IBM’s senior vice president of the IBM Systems and Technology Group (STG), explained how IBM is beating the competition with its Power systems, PureSystems and storage systems to give partners superior technology to sell to customers.

According to analysts, IBM once again is the leader in worldwide server revenue. The company also saw nearly 1,200 competitive displacements, with IBM systems and software displacing competing technology to the tune of $1 billion in 2012.

IBM’s STG unit ended fiscal 2012 down 5 percent, but growth initiatives such as analytics, cloud and Smarter Planet were up big time. Analytics grew more than 70 percent, cloud grew more than 80 percent and Smarter Planet grew 100 percent.

IBM is pressing on as structured data gives way to unstructured data, monolithic apps give way to dynamic services, and programmed systems give way to systems that can learn, among other market issues.

IBM’s Smarter Computing infrastructure is designed for big data, features a software-defined environment, and is open and collaborative.

IBM’s Smarter Computing solutions include System z mainframes, Power systems, PureSystems and more.

Power7+ systems cover entry-level, midrange and PowerLinux environments to deliver power at lower costs.

The PureSystems come in PureFlex, PureApplication and PureData flavors.

IBM storage systems enable users to self-provision storage in minutes.

IBM officials said partners can gain higher margins through Solution Accelerator Incentive. Growth solutions include analytics, cloud and Smarter Planet.

IBM business partners Redstone and Teamsun Technology highlight their successful efforts partnering with IBM, whose officials view partners as a key route into various markets.

An IBM PureSystems installation at the Bank of Utah saved a whole mess of server and cabling nightmares, according to Big Blue.

IBM hopes to get about 57 percent of total systems revenue through its partner channel in 2013.

Among the IBM STG big play endeavors for 2013 is to add 400 business partner-dedicated sellers and to increase the number of quality leads to partners.

IBM is calling on its business partners to sell higher-value solutions by focusing on Smarter Computing initiatives and growth initiatives.

Big data, cloud and other factors are providing significant opportunities for IBM partners, such as ISVs, solution providers, managed-service providers (MSPs) and systems integrators.