これまでIT部門の関心の中心はSystems of Record と呼ばれる基幹系を中心とした業務を支えるシステムでした。この領域のシステムは堅牢性、安定性が重要視されたシステムです。一方で前頁の顧客とかかわりあうシステム(Systems of Engagement) は、イノベーションを迅速に実現していくための俊敏性が求められる世界です。またユーザーを介したシステムのほかに、Internet of Thingsと呼ばれる“モノ”のインターネット(さまざまなデバイスが発信するデータ取得して活用)も急速に発展しています。異なる性質を持つこの3つの領域ですが、これらのシステムは互いに独立して稼働するわけではなく、相互に連携することが必要です。これらの3つの領域が相互に関わって顧客に新たなサービスを提供したり、既存の資産と連携することで付加価値の高いITサービスを展開してビジネスを発展させることがこれからのITには求められます。またこれらの相互に関わりあうシステム(Systems of Interaction)においてクラウドはキーとなるテクノロジーに位置付けられています。
前頁のように幅広い領域でクラウドのテクノロジーが活用されることで、クラウドに対するニーズも変化していきます。これまでクラウドはどちらかというとコスト削減のための施策として活用されるケースが多くありましたが、Systems of Interactionを実現していくうえで、オンプレ、オフプレに閉じず、インターネット規模で迅速・大規模なスケーラビリティが求められたり、オンプレとオフプレを組み合わせたハイブリッド・クラウドのニーズが増えていくことが考えられます。またその先にはオンプレ、オフプレなどいちいち場所を意識しないボーダーレスなクラウドの時代になっていくことが予想されます。
Bluemixとはクラウド上でアプリケーションを開発し、稼働させるための環境です。Bluemixではアプリケーションの言語に応じたランタイムを選んでアプリケーションを構築し、必要に応じてBluemixが提供する各種サービスを選んで利用することでアプリケーションに対して機能を拡張することが容易に実現可能なPlatform as a Service (PaaS)です。インフラを簡単・迅速に利用可能にすることで、開発者がアプリケーションに集中し、アイディアをすぐに形にしていくことを可能にする環境です。
次にBluemixの2つめの特徴であるエンタープライズ・レベルのソリューションの提供についてみてみます。Bluemixでは他社にはない特徴的なサービスを多数提供しています。
このチャートにあげているのはその一例です。Mobile backend as a Service (MBaaS)機能、Big Data & Analytics、DevOps ServicesおよびInternet of Thingsなど、エンタープライズで数多くの実績がある高度なミドルウェア機能やテクノロジーおよび他のSaaS上のアプリケーションをサービスとしてBluemix上で提供しています。ユーザーはこれらの最先端のミドルウェア機能をサービスとしてアプリケーションにバインドし簡単に活用することが可能です。
IBM Watsonも今後Bluemixのサービスとして連携される予定です。WatsonをはじめとするIBMの最先端ソリューションを簡単に利用できることもBluemixのユニーク性の1つです。
Session8はSystems of Interactionを実現するシナリオです。Bluemix上で提供されるCloud IntegartionサービスやAPIを介して既存システムとの連携、既存の資産の活用方法をご紹介します。
最後にBluemixの利用方法についてご紹介します。
Bluemixは2つのライセンス・モデルを提供します。
Pay as you go(PAYG)モデルは利用者が必要なランタイムやサービスを注文&利用し、実利用料に応じて登録クレジット・カードで月次決済するモデルです。いつでもキャンセル可能など柔軟な契約形態をご提供します。またランタイムやサービスごとに無償枠をご提供しています。
サブスクリプションは契約ベースでのご提供モデルです。PAYGモデルと同様の無償枠に加えて、月次の想定利用料金と利用期間の組み合わせに応じた割引きが適用されます。
また30日間の無償ライアルもご提供しています。トライアル期間中は全サービスおよびサポートに制限なくアクセスが可能です。
Client name:
aPersona
Case study link:
http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=AB&infotype=PM&appname=SWGE_SW_SW_USEN&htmlfid=SWC14093USEN&attachment=SWC14093USEN.PDF
Quote:
The cloud-based IBM® Bluemix™ platform offers a robust set of IBM, open source and third-party applications, application programming interfaces (APIs) and services on a pay-as-you-use basis.“With BlueMix, we don’t have to worry about infrastructure; all of that’s taken care of. All we focus on is our code,” says Kelly Sparks, president and chief executive officer (CEO) at aPersona.
Company background:
When Kelly Sparks, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of aPersona, sought to address a significant IT industry challenge, he didn’t let the size of his organization get in the way. Sparks described the extremely lean company as one that "lacked tons of resources and had a tiny development environment.". Yet these challenges didn’t interfere with the initial development of the aPersona adaptive multi-factor & 2-factor security application.
Solution components:
IBM® Bluemix™
Business challenge:
“Our software provides an additional layer of security on top of any web service, web portal or web-based application.” Sparks describes. To develop, test and deploy its customized software product, aPersona needed to transition from a labor-intensive DevOps setup process to a scalable, cloud-based, open source environment to shore up its capabilities. Sparks tapped his industry contacts to find a scalable, resource- and security-rich platform. Familiar with IBM’s vast array of development and database tools, Sparks explored the IBM® Bluemix™ platform.
Benefits:
APersona not only uses the Bluemix platform for its DevOps and service deployment, but also offers its application through the Bluemix catalog. “I think that’s a super testament to the nimbleness of IBM,” notes Sparks. “BlueMix provides the platform for IBM to work with a small company that has really cool technology. APersona gets a global reach by being a part of the catalog so that other customers can get the advantage of our adaptive multifactor authentication for their applications. For a company like ours, it is really phenomenal.”
Client name:
BYTE
Case study link:
(tbd)
Quote:
The IBM BlueMix environment bundles the infrastructure and software that BYTE needs to support customers. “I don’t have to be super technical. I don’t have to hire lots of senior technical people. All I have to do is plug-and-play components into the different places to solve different business problems,” says Mike Little, chief executive officer (CEO) of BYTE.
Company background:
BYTE offers a consumer restaurant-rating app and a cloud-based toolset for restaurants that provides patron feedback and strategic data-analysis capabilities that help restaurateurs improve service and operations.
Solution components:
IBM® BlueMix™
IBM SmartCloud®
Business challenge:
As a startup company dependent on a cloud-based infrastructure, BYTE sought a scalable, cost-effective, resource-rich environment to rapidly develop, deploy and manage its application as well as capture and disseminate restaurant-specific information. Ever conscious of the competitive app marketplace, BYTE needed to quickly launch its service concept without a significant capital expenditure or extensive senior-level technical resources.
Benefits:
BYTE architects and application developers easily tap in to the resource-rich toolset available through the IBM® BlueMix™ environment, reducing the company’s on-premises hardware and software investment. In addition to capital expense savings, the small company improves its opportunity cost with a plethora of applications and solutions readily available through the BlueMix catalog. BYTE passes along these economies of scale, delivering its customer-facing solution through the IBM SmartCloud® environment. Using a cloud environment, BYTE customers obtain an easy-to-use, reliable system with minimal investment.
Client name:
eyeQ
Case study link:
http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=AB∈fotype=PM≈pname=SWGE_SW_SW_USEN&htmlfid=SWC14086USEN&attachment=SWC14086USEN.PDF
Quote:
As an emerging business, eyeQ wanted to expedite its core product development and go-to-market activities. “In the past, we worried about provisioning servers; deploying software, web services and our code; performing software and security updates; and so on. With Bluemix, all that’s taken care of for us,” says Michael Garel, chief executive officer (CEO) at eyeQ.
Company background:
eyeQ brings the power of detailed product information and consumer buying patterns to the aisles of brick and mortar retailers. “With [our] in-store data collection and powerful analytics capabilities, we needed an easily scalable platform that supports our ability to provide reviews and product comparisons, additional pictures, videos and pricing that are targeted and personalized to the individual shopper,” states Garel.
Solution component:
IBM® Bluemix™
Business challenge:
To attain its service delivery goals, eyeQ sought a resource-rich, open source development environment with the flexibility to adapt to growing business needs. Additionally, the platform chosen had to seamlessly integrate with the on-premise and cloud-based systems, applications and infrastructures of its customer base. Low cost and high value are essential to eyeQ’s success. Garel depicts the challenge, “We sought a solution that could provide an immediate return on investment.” He continued, “As a small but rapidly growing company, we need to make sure we leverage our IT resources effectively.”
Benefits:
The IBM® Bluemix™ platform’s composable services not only help eyeQ accelerate its solution development time but also help improve its time to market. “By using Bluemix, eyeQ is saving in the order of hours per deployment. The hours, previously spent on IT support, are focused on the development of our product,” Garel explains. “Bluemix has really helped us grow and scale our business at a very rapid pace with limited head count resources.”
Client name:
Vivocha S.p.A.
Case study link:
http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=AB∈fotype=PM≈pname=SWGE_SW_SW_USEN&htmlfid=SWC14087USEN&attachment=SWC14087USEN.PDF
Quote:
The resource-rich DevOps environment helps Vivocha deliver critical business insights to customers. “We use the analytics capabilities of Bluemix to examine the previous performance of agents and forecast the right way to approach the customers depending on previous performance,” says Federico Pinna, chief technology officer (CTO) and cofounder of Vivocha S.p.A.
Company background:
With years of computer telephony integration experience, Federico Pinna, chief technology officer (CTO) for Vivocha S.p.A., understands the unrelenting challenges and rewards associated with customer contact centers. “Websites are just like normal shops,” says Pinna. “We found that if a visitor talks to a real person, he’s more likely to complete a purchase.” When he and Gianluca Ferranti cofounded Vivocha, the visionaries realized that well-honed analytics and click-to-chat tools would help ensure the company’s success.
Solution components:
IBM® Bluemix™
Business challenge:
“We test, analyze and determine the most likely moment where a user’s going to abandon an online purchase,” Pinna says. “The [Vivocha] tool can increase the likelihood of completing a transaction by 10– 25 percent.” To accelerate its capabilities, Vivocha sought a cloud-based platform that would provide a scalable, resource-rich DevOps environment to support its high-volume data analytics and testing needs. And because the company sells its products through marketing and sales organizations, Vivocha also required open source tools to help seamlessly deliver its solution to customers without adding complex IT infrastructure requirements.
Benefits:
“Our [development] team is very young. They’re technology lovers who contribute a lot in terms of ideas and experimentation,” says Pinna. “Using Bluemix, for most of my team, was just fun and something they like to do.” The ease of use and ability to continually test and analyze new solutions helps Vivocha exponentially improve its service delivery speed. Previously, a midsize enterprise solution would take 3 – 6 months to complete. Using the Bluemix platform, it takes 10 days or less to complete. The Bluemix platform also changed Vivocha’s go-to-market strategy, quickly generating new opportunities for the startup. “Now the sales process is completely different,” Pinna asserts, “…it’s so cost-effective that we can give free trials to everybody.”