Cisco and IBM: Partnering at the Edge

More than two decades ago, Cisco and IBM announced a global alliance. Since then, as well-known market leaders, we have collaborated in a number of areas, ultimately with the objective of helping our mutual customers reduce risk and accelerate their achievement of real-world value.

Cisco and IBM continue to invest in developing and marketing innovative offerings that leverage our core strengths and enable our ongoing delivery of value. Today, this alliance is multidimensional and covers a variety of technologies, such networking, data center, hybrid cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), security, collaboration, and professional services.

One of our latest joint offers is IBM’s recently announced IBM Edge Computing, a solution that utilizes Cisco components. IBM Edge Computing is an enterprise-grade, open-by-design, highly scalable end-to-end solution that brings enterprise workloads closer to where data is created and actions are taken. It expands the operating processes of containers and devices with embedded compute capacity.

To provide compute at the solution’s edge, the IBM Edge Computing solution supports Cisco HyperFlex Edge and Cisco IC3000 Industrial Compute gateway (IC3K) servers. The  HyperFlex Edge and IC3K platforms are specifically designed to support a number of edge use cases such as optimizing traffic management, increasing manufacturing productivity, and increasing the safety of oil and gas pipelines

Cisco HyperFlex Edge

Cisco HyperFlex Edge was designed to address the next frontier: placing computing anywhere customers and data reside. HyperFlex Edge helps meet the unique challenges of deploying simplified, hyperconverged environments for multisite, distributed computing at global scale. It brings the robust feature set and simplicity of HyperFlex systems to edge environments in a flexible, scalable, low-cost, centrally managed solution. Its key features are optimized to reduce cost and space consumption.

Cisco IC3000 Industrial Compute gateway (IC3K)

The Cisco IC3000 Industrial Compute gateway transforms businesses by capturing data from legacy assets and deriving business intelligence at the edge of the IoT network. The gateway extends data intelligence to seamlessly bridge the intent-based network and IoT data fabric in a complete end-to-end solution for industry applications such as smart roadways and factories. The gateway delivers the computing power required by applications that leverage data analytics and real-time critical decision making at the edge of the IoT network. It enables smart roadway applications such as traffic pattern detection, hazardous weather warnings, and road condition detection.

Cisco HyperFlex Edge and the IC3K gateway are part of Cisco’s focus on delivering innovative traditional IT and industrial IoT compute and networking products as well as  the scale, security, and flexibility needed in the most extreme environments. To complement this focus, Cisco also offers an extensive portfolio that includes compute, networking, a world-class application hosting framework, an application environment Cisco IOx, and application lifecycle management.

Going forward

Cisco and IBM are helping our customers achieve business outcomes beyond what was once thought possible, in the context of the fastest and largest tech transition in history. Cisco and IBM will continue to leverage our core strengths to bring innovation to the market. IBM Edge Computing offers yet another proof of our commitment to work together for the mutual gain of our customers. Now, leveraging Cisco’s extensive portfolio, IBM—as a reseller of Cisco technologies—plans to incorporate Cisco HyperFlex Edge and IoT platforms as solution elements in its edge computing strategy.

For more information, visit Cisco.com/go/ibm.