Organizations around the world expect their application services providers to make the journey to cloud as seamless as possible. Application management (AM) – a critical part of digital transformation and modernization – helps ensure critical safeguards for businesses including resiliency, business continuity, speed, and efficiency. 

Earlier this month, IBM was named a “Leader” for worldwide application management services on the cloud in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Application Management Services on the Cloud 2020 Vendor Assessment (November 2020, IDC #US46924517e). According to the IDC MarketScape, “IBM provides a comprehensive suite of services for managing applications on a variety of clouds spanning public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid multicloud…over the past several years, IBM has invested in building differentiated assets and tools that help bolster its next-generation AM services on the cloud.”

The report notes several key IBM differences from other service providers.  First, our IBM Garage Methodology has helped clients accelerate their application portfolio transformation and achieve business excellence, while being able to take advantage of third-party resources and coaching. IDC MarketScape’s research found that application management services on the cloud providers’ culture fit and ability to mesh well with the both the business and IT organization is a key factor. Clients spanning diverse industries – from public utility institutions like Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) to travel and transportation companies like Etihad Airways – illustrate how partnering with IBM Services to achieve open innovation yields outsized results.

Open innovation requires an open, hybrid, multicloud platform for enterprises to truly take advantage of new operating models and new ecosystem partnerships. As the IDC MarketScape notes, “Over the past several years, IBM has invested in building differentiated assets and tools that help bolster its next-generation AM services on the cloud.” Red Hat OpenShift is the core platform that enables open innovation by providing the agility, performance, and scalability that accompanies application portability and enterprise-wide orchestration.

IBM Services has a pivotal role to play in the success of the IBM hybrid cloud and AI strategy, and as we look ahead to the new year, we expect IBM clients will continue to focus on accelerating their cloud application modernization journeys.

John Granger
SVP, Cloud Application Innovation
& COO IBM GBS Global Business Services