AWS-IBM Enhance ‘Remarkable’ Partnership At AWS re:Invent

‘It just really shows how IBM sees the value of working with AWS for our joint customers. And absolutely, AWS sees the value of working with IBM and taking these important solutions and putting them in the cloud to support our customers transformations,’ AWS’ global channel chief Ruba Borno tells CRN.

Amazon Web Services and IBM are doubling down on their strategic partnership by launching a new set of capabilities and SaaS offerings on AWS and the AWS Marketplace that hundreds-of-thousands of AWS and IBM partners can take advantage of today.

“This AWS-IBM strategic agreement creates an enormous amount of opportunities for partners like us to think differently about how customers can run on AWS,” said Justin Copie, CEO of Innovative Solutions. “We’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Earlier this year, IBM and AWS formed a strategic collaboration agreement to eventually make available dozens of IBM’s bestselling software products on AWS, including IBM API Connect, IBM Db2, IBM Maximo Application Suite, IBM Security Verify, and IBM Watson Orchestrate.

At AWS re:Invent 2022 today, IBM added IBM Envizi ESG Suite, IBM Planning Analytics with Watson, IBM Content Services and IBM App Connect Enterprise running as-a-service on AWS that both IBM and AWS partners can sell on the AWS Marketplace.

[Related: Adam Selipsky: Why Partners Should Pick AWS Vs. Cloud Rivals]

IBM’s Kate Woolley On AWS Partnership

These new additions offer AWS and IBM partners enhanced data, planning and analytics for use across industries to address customer challenges—from sustainability to financial planning, said IBM’s channel chief Kate Woolley.

“As we think about where we want to meet our clients and where we’re going to add the most value to them, we want to really lean into this AWS relationship,” Woolley told CRN.

“As we put more SaaS products and more software products onto the AWS Marketplace, it’s also about where our clients want to buy and where they want to consume their products,” said Woolley. “That’s also why, as we evolved how our resellers can also use the AWS Marketplace, it’s all about meeting our clients where they want and how they want to buy. We want to continue to evolve this partnership to be around our clients and what they need.”

At AWS re:Invent 2022 today, IBM and AWS also expanded these offering to independent software vendors (ISVs) who for the first time can now obtain IBM software from the AWS Marketplace with the same benefits they have always received as IBM partners.

One key to the partnership is that customers can use their cloud commitment spending with AWS on IBM products.

“Now with the AWS Marketplace, our resell partners are able to take their clients committed spend with AWS against the IBM products that are with the AWS Marketplace,” Woolley said.

‘Remarkable’ IBM, Red Hat And AWS Opportunity

Innovative Solutions CEO Copie said customers now have the ability to modernize their infrastructure using best-in-class software from IBM and Red Hat, while leveraging best-in-class cloud infrastructure from AWS.

“It’s remarkable to see the trifecta of IBM, AWS and Innovative be able to deliver these customer outcomes together in ways that were never before possible,” said Copie.

For example, through the relationship between Innovative Solutions and IBM, Copie said his West Henrietta, N.Y.-based company will now be an able to help customers modernize and secure their software and infrastructure on AWS using solutions from Red Hat and IBM.

“This has never been done before and we are excited to be the first solution integrator to do so,” said Copie. “IBM has always been a leader in enterprise software, and with our experience working with small to midsized businesses, we can now bring the power of both IBM and AWS together—everyone wins.”

AWS Channel Chief On IBM Partnership ‘Speed’

AWS Worldwide Channel Chief Ruba Borno said she’s “excited” about “the speed that we are operating and working on together as a team” with IBM.

“It just really shows how IBM sees the value of working with AWS for our joint customers,” said Borno, vice president of worldwide channel and alliances. “And absolutely, AWS sees the value of working with IBM and taking these important solutions and putting them in the cloud to support our customers transformations.”

Borno said the two technology giants are already working on joint go-to-market and joint account planning across multiple verticals and use cases.

For Copie, Innovative Solutions is full steam ahead with IBM and AWS.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to see Ruba Borno and Kate Woolley listening to both partners and customers, and taking immediate action to enable this level of collaboration,” said Copie. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my 20-plus years in the industry.”