IBM boosts cloud options for enterprise developers

IBM has updated its Smart Business Development and Test (SBDT) environment, which enables enterprise clients to expand and enhance their internal development and test processes using IBM's cloud infrastructure.

Application virtualisation and performance testing are now available, allowing users to rapidly create multiple virtual test environments customised for each development and testing team, IBM said.

The automation and performance testing tools are up to 50 per cent faster, the firm added.

Among the new enhancements is IBM Testing Services for Cloud, which brings together automation and performance testing tools in a service designed to identify defects earlier in the development cycle, where they are less expensive to fix, and eliminate performance-related bottlenecks.

IBM also announced a technical preview of Rational Load Testing, which aims to address issues with infrastructure acquisition, maintenance and configuration for large-scale performance testing via the IBM Cloud.

Deployment Planning and Automation has also been made available for organisations that need to deploy applications in a consistent manner, the firm said. The software suite supports the deployment life cycle from environment discovery to deployment planning, deployment automation and governance.

The additional features will allow developers to configure environments and easily share them across development teams for more consistent application deployment, IBM added.
The firm’s multi-tenant open cloud has also been improved to include support for Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Data Center Editions.

IBM has also introduced an integrated development and test environment and software and services to allow developers to improve quality and speed across the application life cycle.

SBDT provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to try out some of the IBM stable of products, explained Clive Longbottom, service director at Quocirca.

“Virtual appliances of IBM products will be easily available and can be spun up and tried out as required , which should be good for IBM, its channel and for customers/prospects as well,” he said.

“IBM will have to make sure that it markets and positions this correctly. It may have to look at how it can take the results from SBDT and enable organisations to automate movement from there to an Amazon or Azure-based external cloud.”

Alternatively, IBM will have to provide its own cloud service platform where systems can move from development and test through to production, Longbottom added.

“We see the main move being to externally hosted private clouds in the short term, and IBM has to make sure that the tools are in place to help this happen. It looks like SBDT does offer much of the capability,” he added.