IBM Makes it Easier for Clients to Develop Software in the Cloud with Bluemix, DevOps

ORLANDO, FL. - 02 Jun 2014: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced that businesses of all sizes from start-ups to large enterprises are rapidly adopting IBM Bluemix to develop software in the cloud with greater speed, security and quality.

IBM also announced additional services on Bluemix, which will move from beta testing and into production later this month. Bluemix, IBM's open cloud platform, is based on an open standards foundation, Cloud Foundry, and provides developers access to IBM's software for integration, security, transactions and other key functions, as well as software from business partners. As a result, it can help developers connect two broad categories of systems in a cloud environment: systems of record, such as core banking and accounting systems, and systems of engagement, such as mobile, situational and social apps. Bluemix, IBM's Platform-as-a-Service, offers cloud-based DevOps services which enable developers to rapidly develop and deliver projects faster and more efficiently. Using Bluemix services:

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) dramatically reduced the expected delivery time of its pilot mobile app from months to weeks.

Financial Insurance Management Corp. (FIMC) rapidly created a mobile app to increase renewal rates by 30 percent;

Start-ups MyMenu and aPersona are scaling core business apps with improved speed and innovation.

Additionally, DevOps services allow organizations such as GE Capital to build an award-winning banking website and other apps with commercial intensity and market speed.

Since Bluemix was launched just three months ago, we've seen a rapid ramp-up of third-party and IBM services available to developers who want to use DevOps in the cloud to create composable, enterprise-class apps, said Steve Robinson, General Manager of IBM's Cloud Platform Services. Much of this evolution stems from work we've done with clients and our collaboration with our growing, open standards-based ecosystem. We can expect this momentum to continue as a bigger share of nearly 18 million developers globally move the bulk of their app development to the cloud.

New Bluemix and IBM DevOps Services Clients

BART Pilots Cloud and DevOps to Bring Critical Data to Mobile Workforce

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a public, rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Working with IBM Business Partner Synchrony Systems, BART will pilot Bluemix DevOps to reach into the troves of data in its expansive physical infrastructure of 44 stations,104 miles of track, sensors, maintenance systems, trains and more, and plans to use this intelligence to build and deploy a mobile app allowing BART supervisors to track real-time train data via mobile updates. By combining DevOps capabilities with Bluemix's secure connection to back-end data, BART's previous estimates as to the time it will take to complete its first mobile app have drastically changed.

BART has a huge volume of incredibly valuable information living in its infrastructure: from trains to tracks to maintenance reports, said Slavik Zorin, CEO of Synchrony Systems. We are looking to the Bluemix DevOps model to give us the tools we need to rapidly tap all of this important data into a new, interactive mobile platform for BART to roll out to its mobile workforce improving maintenance response and providing better service.

GE Capital Accelerates Software Delivery with Cloud-Based DevOps

GE Capital, the financial services unit of General Electric, recently aimed to accelerate software delivery and optimize the resources of top IT talent, allowing them to create innovations such as the company's Fleet Optimizer, an analytics app which allows vehicle fleet managers to optimize performance. The company built a DevOps platform, deploying build, test and production cloud environments accessible to global teams drastically increasing visibility through real-time dashboards and continuous feedback, and speeding deployment of predictive analytics apps, websites and other software.

We built software and apps, such as our award-winning bank GECapitalBank.com from scratch in weeks to months instead of months to years, said Snehal Antani, CIO of Enterprise Architecture at GE Capital Americas. By bringing together a strong IT foundation based on DevOps, we can execute and deliver requirements faster giving us the agility of a startup with the resources of a large enterprise.

FIMC Taps DevOps to Create Customer Mobile Experiences

Financial Insurance Management Corp. (FIMC), an insurance provider offering customized membership programs and services, recognized a need for a high-quality mobile experience to enhance client engagement and improve customer service. Using Bluemix DevOps, IBM business partner PointSource worked with FIMC to build a mobile interface which connects clients to on-premise business applications, giving them access to one-touch roadside assistance, targeted promotions, claim submissions and deductible management, as well as a channel to interact with FIMC via social media for faster and more direct communication.

Before implementing our mobile platform, our members sometimes did not realize some of their most valued services such as roadside assistance or discounts had expired, and we wanted to streamline the renewal process to ensure more continuous service, said Scott Liberatore, CEO of FIMC. Now we have an engagement model that reaches members directly, and we've increased our customer renewal rate by 30 percent.

Born-on-the-Web MyMenu Uses Cloud, Mobile DevOps and Analytics to Bring Customer Feedback to Restaurants

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, MyMenu is a mobile food ordering company whose mobile app allows customers to search for restaurants, menu items and/or ingredients, order food and give feedback. As a Blue

LINK:	http://www-03.ibm.com/press/uk/en/pressrelease/44079.wss...
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