IBM Global Technology Services
Case Study
Computer Services
Leveraging the Entire
Spectrum of Cloud
­Computing Opportunities
GROUP Live and IBM join forces to offer cloudcomputing services tailored to fit the needs of small
and mid-sized businesses with fully-automated
application provisioning via a Platform-as-a-Service
(PaaS) solution.
At a glance
The challenge
To find a highly secure, reliable and
scalable operation of application
environments “in the cloud” along with a
flexible pricing model.
The solution
Innovative PaaS technology from GROUP
Live, backed by the powerful and highly
secure IT infrastructure at IBM’s data
center in Ehningen, Germany
• Flexible pricing model for software
vendors and small and mid-sized
companies
• Flexible provisioning of IBM software
•
The benefits
Complex applications can be developed,
delivered, operated, and managed via the
cloud platform
• Offers an innovative business model for
software vendors and their customers
• Allows applications to be provided on a
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) basis within
minutes thanks to complete automation
• Hosting is provided by IBM, ensuring high
security (in line with international security
standards) and around-the-clock
availability of the cloud platform
•
Cloud computing has been named the most important IT trend of 2010
by Gartner, underlining the significance of this key technology in the
coming years. GROUP Live, the cloud computing and PaaS division
within GROUP Business Software, specializes in developing cloud
solutions. Establishing itself as one of the leaders in the growing cloud
computing market, GROUP Live is focused on innovative Platform-asa-Service technology. Until now, cloud platforms of this type have been
considered a vision for the future – but GROUP Live is already making
this vision a reality. In contrast to well-known Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings, GROUP Live enables end-to-end, fully-automated provisioning of applications “in the cloud” that will benefit small and
mid-sized businesses as well as independent software vendors (ISVs).
Rising to the challenge – and conquering new
markets with PaaS
Cloud platforms allow software vendors to quickly and easily launch
and deliver innovative solutions using new delivery models. PaaS
offerings replace complex software and hardware installation projects
and provide new opportunities to provision applications completely in
the cloud. Having Web-based access to solutions via PaaS makes
implementations fast and easy, allowing software vendors to reach
customers that have been restricted to on-site installations by limited
IT resources. With PaaS, test versions of a solution can be made
available with minimal effort and software vendors can even provide
SaaS applications that support multiple client systems.
“The fact that hosting is provided by IBM guarantees
our PaaS solution’s reliability. And IBM’s
internationally-available data centers allow our
customers to use the cloud platform anywhere
around the globe.”
— Constanze Zarth, Managing Director at GROUP Live
IBM Global Technology Services
Case Study
Computer Services
Small and mid-sized companies benefit from fast and simple
access to applications that were previously unavailable to them
due to high costs and administrative effort. In addition, they
can cloud-enable their own applications. This allows them to
create a homogeneous, flexible, Web-based IT landscape
spanning all sites. All platform operations can be migrated to
the cloud – and vendors can begin providing the client with
access to applications within minutes. Thanks to standardized
templates, employees and departments can be granted access
to predefined applications. All services are billed on a pay-asyou-go basis. IBM also supports this pay-per-use principle by
providing GROUP Live a flexible pricing model for its
hosting services.
Application Environment
Platform-as-a-Service
ISVs
Development
Resellers
Operation
Customers
Management
Hardware
Monitoring
Software
Virtualization
SLAs
Infrastructure
Secure and reliable cloud computing
To provide PaaS customers with the highest degree of
security, availability, and reliability, GROUP Live turned to
IBM. Its parent company GROUP Business Software, one of
the leading providers of IBM Lotus solutions, has a longstanding and successful partnership with IBM. That’s why
working together to establish a hosting solution for the PaaS
platform’s technical infrastructure was only natural. No
matter what kinds of applications are accessed via the cloud,
secure access to data and around-the-clock availability and
reliability are of paramount importance. IBM’s certified data
centers ensure all this and more, thanks to their stringent
security and availability standards that mandate features such
as redundant power supplies, man traps, video monitoring,
and disaster recovery solutions, including protocols for
mitigating fire and water damage. This ensures that GROUP
Live’s PaaS offering stands on a rock-solid foundation.
Peace of mind thanks to a powerful IT
infrastructure and expert support
The cloud platform is powered by high-performance servers
in IBM’s data center in Ehningen. The usage capacity can be
increased at any time, offering unique flexibility. For many of
GROUP Live’s customers, the fact that IBM provides the
technical infrastructure for PaaS was an important factor in
making their decision. Jörg Baumann, Managing Director at
solvito GmbH, a software vendor that uses the GROUP Live
platform, says, “In addition to flexibility, high levels of
security and reliability of operations were major deciding
factors. Having a leading enterprise such as IBM behind the
system ensures this. Offering our CRM solution via PaaS is an
important step towards the future. We can now implement
new solutions for our customers rapidly and cost-effectively
– which also helps us penetrate new markets.”
For the first time ever, selected IBM software products can be rented – and more
are in the pipeline
Thanks to the platform, it is now possible to rent IBM
software, such as Lotus products, on a monthly basis. There
are already plans to expand the IBM product portfolio
available through PaaS. The combination of GROUP Live
and IBM technology makes an attractive service offering for
small and mid-sized companies and software vendors. The
efficient, user-friendly, and reliable platform allows these
companies to benefit from all opportunities associated with
SaaS and cloud computing.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2010
IBM Deutschland GmbH
IBM-Allee 1
71139 Ehningen, Germany
Printed in Germany
July 2010
All rights reserved
IBM, the IBM logo, and ibm.com are trademarks of the IBM Corporation.
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of the IBM corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service
marks of others.
This success story illustrates how one organization uses IBM products and
services. Many factors have contributed to the results and benefits
described; IBM does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere. The
information contained in this document was provided by customers and/or
IBM business partners. IBM cannot guarantee the accuracy of this
information.
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