Q&A: Bob Lord on IBM and EY’s New Global Alliance

IBM and EY announced a strategic alliance to help clients address a range of business challenges, including accelerating digital transformation and journey to the cloud with Red Hat OpenShift at the core. An expansion of the current IBM-EY relationship, the alliance aims to help global companies embrace the open hybrid cloud, AI, and automation in a way that is most strategically aligned to their businesses. It also combines the strengths of each company’s consulting practices to help deliver long-term value to clients.

IBM SVP, Cognitive Applications, Blockchain and Ecosystems Bob Lord explains why the alliance matters, and why it’s happening now.

How will the IBM and EY partnership work?
IBM and EY will provide strategy, consulting and systems integration services to help clients with cloud strategy and digital transformations. Particular attention will be paid to cloud strategy in areas that EY excels in, like M&A, finance, HR, legal, tax, and audit and compliance. The partnership will also develop one-of-a kind products and services built on hybrid cloud with Red Hat OpenShift at the core to maximize AI, data analytics, IoT, security, and blockchain.  It will also include the creation of joint offerings with the EY developer ecosystem.

Why now?
Global enterprises are quickly moving their workloads to the cloud, having recognized the benefits that strategically designed, well-executed AI and automation can bring. Each industry and enterprise has different, often complex challenges in implementing and getting the most out of these technologies. The combined expertise of IBM and EY ensures that clients can better use technologies like Red Hat OpenShift, IBM Watson, IBM Blockchain, 5G and edge computing to improve their own businesses.

How do current IBM clients benefit from this partnership?
Using Red Hat OpenShift as a foundational platform, migrating mission-critical workloads to the cloud is not a one-time event. The migration should set off a process of ongoing innovation across an enterprise. This alliance will help both IBM and EY co-invest in new solutions to increase the sustainability and resiliency that companies will need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving environment.

Is EY now a part of the IBM public cloud ecosystem?
Yes. It’s critical for enterprises to implement a hybrid, multi-cloud strategy with Red Hat OpenShift to maximize digital transformation and modernization of mission-critical workloads. In joining the IBM public cloud ecosystem, EY will be better able to maximize the benefits to its own business, as well as help clients achieve the same results. We are committed to investing resources and focus toward our cloud partners so they can deliver innovative solutions with velocity and scale.