IBM Starter Kit for Cloud x86 Edition

Highlights

• Cloud software stack delivers fast time to value
• Simple- to-deploy, easy-to-use, works with existing infrastructure
• Easily integrates with BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud
• Optimizes the data center with increased automation, structured security, comprehensive management, and resource sharing
• Scales to improve quality and meet demand for continuous availability
• Offers metering tools to develop usage and billing models to track ROI

Reliable, secure and easy-to-use

IBM Starter Kit for Cloud x86 Edition is an entry-level software offering that takes your virtualized environment from “cloud-ready” to “cloud.” Users can request and provision an environment quickly through an easy-to-use web-based interface. IT managers can monitor and manage this environment for improved efficiency and utilization of the data center. IBM Starter Kit for Cloud x86 Edition works with the IBM® BladeCenter® Foundation for Cloud virtualization platform in addition to select IBM System x® and BladeCenter servers.

Starter Kit capabilities

• Create images: Simplify storage of thousands of images
• Easily create new ‘golden master’ images and software appliances using corporate standard operating systems
• Convert images from physical systems or between various x86 hypervisors
• Reliably track images to ensure compliance and minimize security risks
• Optimize resources, reducing the number of virtualized images and the storage required for them

• Deploy VMs: Slash time to value for new workloads from months to a few days
• Deploy application images across compute and storage resources
• End user self-service for improved responsiveness
• Ensure security through VM isolation, project-level user access controls
• Easy to use – no need to know all the details of the infrastructure
• Investment protection from full support of existing virtualized environments
• Optimize performance on IBM systems with dynamic scaling, expansive capacity and continuous operation

• Operate a private cloud: Cut costs with efficient operations
• Delegate provisioning to authorized users to improve productivity
• Maintain full oversight to ensure an optimally running and safe Cloud through automated approval/rejection
• Standardize deployment and configuration to improve compliance and reduce errors by setting policies, defaults and templates
• Simplify administration with an intuitive interface for managing projects, users, workloads, resources, billing, approvals and metering