IBM and AT&T Bring Open Hybrid Cloud Services to Enterprise Clients for the 5G Era
What’s the news?
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and AT&T* will work together to help enterprises manage their applications hosted in hybrid cloud environments with IBM Cloud Satellite leveraging Red Hat OpenShift, over AT&T networks.
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By making it easier for businesses to connect open hybrid cloud computing using AT&T Multi-access Edge Computing, a low-latency, private cellular network edge environment, IBM and AT&T will be able to help businesses across all industries more rapidly develop and deploy innovative new services wherever they need to run using regional or on-premises edge computing with additional privacy and security.
Built on Red Hat OpenShift, IBM Cloud Satellite gives clients the flexibility to bring their applications to any environment where their data resides using the enhanced security of IBM’s open hybrid cloud architecture.
What will this do?
Enterprises will be able to use a single dashboard designed to manage services across multiple clouds and billions of edge devices with high levels of reliability and security.1 IBM Cloud Satellite, currently in beta, can unlock new potential in the cloud for business customers with the power of AT&T 5G, whether it’s a mobile field workforce using cloud-hosted applications via AT&T 5G edge network connectivity, or a manufacturing facility needing increased privacy, low latency and control with AT&T Private Cellular Networks or Multi-access Edge Computing.
The benefits? Speedy implementation, better customer experiences, centralized management and enhanced security through IBM’s sophisticated encryption capabilities. IBM will also bring its AI capabilities via IBM Watson to deliver deeper insights for clients in near real time from data collected at the edge.
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Why does it matter?
“The advancements in 5G and edge are impacting every industry, bringing the promise of enhanced experiences for consumers and new revenue opportunities for businesses,” said Howard Boville, senior vice president, IBM Hybrid Cloud. “Together with AT&T, we will be helping clients securely leverage 5G and edge offerings in any environment with IBM’s open and secure hybrid cloud platform. This marks a significant step forward increasing the possibilities of 5G and edge in the enterprise.”
Businesses are using a hybrid cloud strategy, and high levels of control are needed for today’s remote environment. Especially as 5G and edge computing continue to grow. And by putting enhanced security at the forefront of the solution, AT&T and IBM have made it so that even clients in the most highly regulated industries can capture the 5G opportunity. IBM’s sophisticated encryption capabilities mean that only the client has access to their data – IBM and AT&T cannot access it.
The rise of 5G, a market opportunity projected to reach $667 Billion by 2026, is signaling a new frontier in cloud computing – where data collected from billions of mobile devices and factory floor sensors – can be processed where the data resides, delivering low latency and efficiency.
“Make no mistake: AT&T is fast,” said Mo Katibeh, Chief Product and Platform Officer for AT&T Business. “And we don’t just have the fastest nationwide 5G network2. With our edge computing capabilities, we can also offer incredibly responsive networks – needed for mission-critical business applications. Our work with IBM will bring differentiated value that customers will appreciate.”
With the increased use of digital services in 2020 – from those supporting remote work to e-commerce, online learning, communications and entertainment – increasing data traffic is creating high demand. 5G paired with open, secure hybrid cloud computing can boost data transfer speeds, lower latency, enhance connectivity and unveil new opportunities around IoT and other intelligent devices.
Who’s going to use this?
This is designed to help clients that manage distributed IT environments (think thousands of sensors on a factory floor, or a point of sale system in retail) with a consistent development and operational experience. Especially data being processed in multiple clouds. Some examples include:
- The healthcare industry could potentially adopt tools such as hospital operations monitoring patients remotely via connected medical devices with telehealth and working to enhance worker safety.
- In manufacturing, 5G-connected automated operations can help reduce costs and control quality on production lines through robotics and near real time visual analysis.
- In retail, 5G and edge can help stores analyze supply chain data, detect spills or spoilage or monitor metrics like crowd density in ways that would have overwhelmed a network without edge computing.
- Supply chains can become more resilient and dynamic with enhanced networking and remote monitoring, combined with automated inventory management and AI-enhanced procurement processes.
- In banking and finance, fraud detection and customer claims can be addressed in near real time. Edge-equipped ATMs can themselves serve as the point of fraud detection, deterring a bad actor from tampering with the system.
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