IBM offers drag-and-drop cloud management

IT managers will be able to move computing resources between private and public clouds

IBM has demonstrated the use of its Cloud Management Console to control a remote cloud, making it possible for IT managers to move computing resources between private and public clouds.

The demonstration, carried out at IBM's Silicon Valley Research Center in San José alongside partner Juniper Networks, showed off a drag-and-drop interface which can manage a hybrid cloud infrastructure.

The San José centre is just one of nine global Cloud Labs that IBM uses to build proof-of-concept systems for customers.

Cloud computing, along with virtualisation, promises more flexibility by allowing IT departments to separate applications or data from particular sites and equipment. Juniper's technology aids in the remote management of clouds over long-distance Multiprotocol Label Switching networks.

The IBM Cloud Management Console used in the demonstration showed virtual machines as small, colour-coded boxes. An IBM executive then dragged several boxes from a private to a public cloud, freeing up computing resources on the private cloud. The executive then assigned the empty boxes to other functions.

The new capability was unveiled along with several other new IBM cloud offerings, including Service Management Center for Cloud Computing, which clients can use to build and deliver cloud services; IBM Rational AppScan 7.8, for enterprises to ensure that web services published into a cloud are secure; IBM Design and Implementation for Cloud Test Environments, allowing customers to build a cloud inside their own environments for testing; and Tivoli Storage as a Service, providing data protection technologies on an online pay-as-you-go basis.