There is substantial backing to develop

Cloud Foundry is an open source platform-as-a-service being developed by Pivotal, the EMC-VMware big data startup; this is now being backed by IBM.

This move means that IBM will be able to assist developers get apps to the cloud, without worrying about the compatibility of technology.

IBM WebSphere Liberty is a lightweight version of IBM's WebSphere Application linux dedicated Server, and is the first product to emerge from the IBM-Pivotal partnership. It helps developers respond to enterprise and market needs more quickly by getting less complex, rapid development and deployment of Web, mobile, social and analytic applications using fewer resources.

A joint IBM-Pivotal conference for Cloud Foundry will be held in September of this year in Santa Clara, California.

A selection of clouds, developer frameworks and application services is offered by the open platform as a service, Cloud Foundry. The technology ensures that it is easier to build, test, deploy and scale applications, according to the organization.

Vendors have been calling for more apps which operate on the cloud, and IBM is stepping up to meet this demand, according to the chief technology officer for the cloud interoperability at IBM, Chris Ferris.

There is a lot of demand for new apps to be built, and it is important that companies like IBM are able keep up with this fast pace of development. Ferris added that this growing pressure stems from the growing use of mobile devices.

To put it another way, new apps are being discovered by employees, which enterprise-level companies in particular have not yet adopted. In order to be competitive, it is important that companies are able to stay focused on users’ demands and fast-changing technology.

Ferris noted that developers need to be innovative, and develop and scale apps fast. Furthermore, from a channel perspective, open source and open cloud provides partners with choices.

The developer advocate for Cloud Foundry at Pivotal, Andy Piper, said Cloud Foundry is “like an operating system for the cloud.” He added that regardless of which cloud, the platform can be adapted for any need. Piper said: “It's all about choice. We're not about restricting you.”

Lumenate is a Dallas, Texas-based national solution provider making a significant investment in the big data arena. The North America regional vice president of that company, Jamie Shepard, stated that Cloud Foundry is 100 percent dedicated to competing against Amazon Web Services.

There is substantial backing to develop Cloud Foundry as the technology is supportive of the creation of apps, according to Shepard. He continued, saying that channel partners will require the assistance of Pivotal and IBM in broadening their business model, through the addition of consulting services, for example.

Shepard added that Pivotal needs to embrace the channel. Solution providers and businesses have the ability to build big data applications and services for the cloud with Pivotal’s support.

Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based EMC owns around 80 percent of VMware, which focuses specifically on virtualizing servers, which is usually the first step to the cloud.

Piper commented that IBM is a big brand which has a lot of customers, expertise and experience, and it seems to him that IBM’s backing with support Cloud Foundry in operating to a higher standard.

Ferris of IBM has noted that his company wants Cloud Foundry to benefit from its involvement in the same way that OpenStack did. Financial sponsorship from IBM, in conjunction with technical, legal and marketing know-how, helped the OpenStack community grow to become one of the strongest open source projects being developed. Ferris said: “IBM is fully committed to open source and an open ecosystem.”
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