IBM Ramps Up Cloud Initiatives Through New Partnerships

Digital transformation is a vital component of organizational success across industries now, especially as COVID-19 redefines daily operations. In the face of this quickly shifting terrain, IBM has recently announced a few new partnerships for driving various cloud initiatives.

On July 17, the company announced that they are partnering with global professional services firm EY to help organizations accelerate their digital transformations internationally. The alliance brings EY market premier strategy and global business consulting services together with IBM’s strong technology leadership, consulting technology practice, and hybrid cloud and AI capabilities. Together, IBM and EY will provide joint consulting and systems integration capabilities and help clients better address key business challenges, from perspectives including M&A, finance, HR, legal, tax, risk and compliance, supply chain, and asset management.

The goal is also to help customers make use of Red Hat OpenShift in hybrid cloud computing, which can speed an organization’s transition to the cloud. Just a few days later, on July 21, IBM announced a partnership with Adobe and Red Hat to similarly use the open source container platform to enable brands to manage and deliver content within any hybrid cloud environment.

As part of this collaboration, Adobe will join IBM to provide CX solutions for the IBM Cloud for Financial Services, an initiative for which IBM has been building momentum. On July 22, IBM announced that BNP Paribas will be its first IBM Cloud for Financial Services anchor customer in Europe.

Back in November, Bank of America became the company’s first collaborator on what it says is the world’s first cloud service of this kind. Together, IBM and Bank of America have been developing the IBM Cloud Policy Framework for Financial Services. IBM has also just announced the formation of a Financial Services Cloud Advisory Council which will bring together top financial institutions to guide the development of policy framework, and jointly define and push the sector’s cloud governance, risk, and compliance approach.

This flurry of announcements over the past two weeks shows that rather than slowing the technology giant down, COVID-19 is giving IBM many reasons to forge ahead with new key initiatives.