5 Announcements from IBM InterConnect So Far

Written by Nicole Henderson
March 20, 2017

IBM is hosting its IBM InterConnect conference this week in Las Vegas. Here are some of its announcements so far.

IBM is hosting its IBM InterConnect conference this week in Las Vegas to introduce more than 20,000 developers, clients and partners to the latest advancements in cloud computing. The conference runs until Thursday.

Here are five of the announcements that came out on day 1 of the conference on Monday.

Veritas Partnership

IBM and Veritas have teamed up to help enterprises manage and protect data in hybrid cloud environments.

“As part of the agreement, Veritas has certified the IBM Cloud Object Storage family of software and cloud services for use with Veritas NetBackup 8.0. As a result, both Veritas and IBM clients can gain a more efficient way to migrate data from on-premises systems to the cloud for greater storage capabilities and efficient management of their growing unstructured data. Based on IBM’s acquisition of Cleversafe in 2015, IBM Cloud Object Storage brings advanced object storage technology to the cloud.”

IBM Cloud Object Storage Updates

IBM is offering clients a new, more flexible pricing model for cloud storage. With IBM’s new cloud storage service, IBM Cloud Object Storage Flex (Flex), customers can consume storage on a pay as you use basis, ideal for those with unpredictable data usage patterns.

Cognitive Training on IBM Cloud

IBM and Galvanize are extending their partnership to offer a new IBM Cognitive course to provide data science training, as well as physical spaces for training through the new Cognitive Builder Fair Initiative and the Cognitive Builder Space.

IBM Launches Bluemix Container Service

IBM has launched a new container service on Bluemix using Kubernetes. The IBM Bluemix Container Service automatically provisions, updates and monitors the containers that developers use to create apps.

“Building microservices with containers helps developers to do what they do best – invent – by creating and stitching together different services that work in tandem,” said Jason McGee, IBM Fellow, VP, IBM Cloud. “Our service does this in a simple, straightforward way by using Kubernetes to automate critical parts of an app’s environment, while giving developers the ability to build in cognitive intelligence, blockchain and Internet of Things services.”

IBM Cognitive Assistant to Help IT Protect Devices

IBM announced the availability of a new cognitive assistant that leverages IBM Watson to help IT pros protect networks of IoT devices, smartphones and other endpoints. IBM MaaS360 uses machine learning to analyze devices on the network and recommends policies, patches and customized best practices.

“Our investments in bringing Watson to MaaS360 are a major springboard into the Unified Endpoint Management space for IBM Security,” said Jim Brennan, Director of Strategy and Offering Management, IBM Security. “Enterprise administrators are responsible for digesting an incredible amount of data, including security vulnerabilities, privacy regulations, multiple OS and device updates, and compliance requirements. Through MaaS360 with Watson, we’re not only able to streamline and sharpen the data so administrators can stay ahead of the curve, but also transform the way they interact with their environment.”