Ingram Micro launches CloudBlue-- an independent software division formed through several Ingram Micro investments, aimed at service providers wanting to build, scale and monetise cloud services.
The CloudBlue platform is different from the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace offering. It promises to allow service providers of any size and a "wide variety" of business models to automate, aggregate and monetise own cloud and digital services, as well as services from 3rd parties. It also allows ISVs to take offerings to market across the entire multi-service provider ecosystem through the Ingram Micro cloud commerce and anything-as-a-service (XaaS) platform.
A proprietary API technology, dubbed APS, provides easy connection to a network of vendor offerings to make them part of complete solutions from other vendors. CloudBlue already has over 200 of such pre-integrated solutions from vendors including Microsoft, Dropbox, DocuSign, IBM, Cisco and Symantec.
Powering such service is a "one-of-a-kind strategic alliance" with Microsoft-- one with Microsoft and Ingram Micro co-selling the CloudBlue commerce platform to service providers joining the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. In addition, as one might expect the CloudBlue platform runs on the Azure cloud.
“The launch of CloudBlue is instrumental to the ongoing success of our customers and partners and clearly positions us as a business platform leader and technology innovator in our industry,” CloudBlue SVP Richard Duffy says. “CloudBlue stands alone in its proven ability to deliver scalable and secure technology, access to an infinite ecosystem of providers, and go-to-market and enablement services. By providing these resources and capabilities to our customers, we are removing the barriers to entry and growing pains organisations have historically faced when launching, scaling, and managing cloud businesses and services.”
CloudBlue is already running and powers cloud operations of a number of service porviders, including Sprint, Centurylink, Cogeco, Telefonica, O2, Telenor, Telekom Austria, AmericaMovil, Cobweb, GTI, Copaco, PCM and Telstra.
