{"id":42094,"date":"2021-05-14T10:12:31","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T10:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/?guid=18935ccd5156d6b32a6c5868bdc865da"},"modified":"2021-05-14T10:12:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T10:12:31","slug":"can-ibm-buy-its-way-to-cloud-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icloud.pe\/blog\/can-ibm-buy-its-way-to-cloud-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Can IBM buy its way to cloud success?"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n Keumars Afifi-Sabet<\/a><\/span>
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14 May, 2021<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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IBM has been a fixture of the computing industry almost since its inception, defining various eras with products such as the Model 5150 or\u00a0Watson<\/a>, the AI-powered suite of business services. One of the secrets to its longevity has been a powerful ability to reinvent itself when market shifts threaten the viability of its business model. As a result, the company is just as relevant today as it was when founded in 1911.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While we may not readily associate IBM with cloud computing, this is where the company sees its future, alongside the twin pillars of AI and\u00a0quantum computing<\/a>. As such, the firm has launched itself into a radical shift in pursuit of a revenue model reliant on expanding its\u00a0hybrid cloud<\/a>\u00a0business. This is a strategy that\u2019s seen IBM plot to cleave off its managed services business as well as make ten acquisitions within the space of a year, comprising one of the computing giant\u2019s most comprehensive reinventions yet. It\u2019s a process, however, that its executives feel is essential to IBM\u2019s long-term survival.<\/p>\n

The \u2018$1 trillion hybrid cloud opportunity\u2019<\/h2>\n

IBM\u2019s leadership has often referenced the \u201c$1 trillion hybrid cloud opportunity\u201d as a key driver for the strategy, and for good reason. The market has shown a long-term move towards cloud services, Gartner VP analyst Craig Lowery tells\u00a0IT Pro<\/em>, with many businesses changing their strategies to help their clients achieve their cloud objectives. \u201cCustomers have been making their requirements known for many years,\u201d Lowery says. IBM has, like many other companies, eventually had to respond to that, he adds, saying that its leadership \u201chas taken the appropriate actions, as they see it, to align with customer needs\u201d.<\/p>\n