IBM (NYSE: IBM), the world’s leading information technology services provider, today said it would make new service products available for sale by IBM Business Partners, a major step in the expansion of its strategy to sell clients a simplified portfolio of asset-based, replicable and standardized services. Beginning immediately, IBM Business Partners will be able to sell certain service products for Business Continuity and Resiliency Services, Security and Privacy, Server, Storage and Data Services and Maintenance and Support.  

Service Products represent the next step in IBM’s strategy to deliver traditional labor-based technology services in a manner more similar to the delivery of technology products. 

The new service products to be sold by IBM Business Partners will be targeted at small and medium sized business (SMB) clients. They include the following service products, which IBM plans to make available during 2007:  

-IBM Managed Security Service for Unified Threat Management (UTM): Instead of having to purchase a dedicated UTM appliance or separate managed services for firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN, antivirus, Web filtering and antispam, clients will now be able to acquire services for each of these technologies through a single purchase. IBM Internet Security Systems’ (ISS) UTM service product will be able to help simplify security purchasing, maintenance and management, making it an attractive option for SMBs, remote/branch offices of larger companies, resellers and service providers.

-IBM Managed Security Service for Shared Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): This new offering is designed to provide clients with enhanced security at a much lower cost than with a dedicated appliance. Rather than purchasing a dedicated appliance to live on-premise, clients will be able to purchase a shared service on an appliance that the service provider owns. The enterprise-class IPS service is designed to help customers protect their infrastructure from known and unknown attacks such as worms, spyware and malicious Web pages. Because the service helps clients identify potential threats proactively, clients’ network availability and bandwidth is more likely to be preserved, with low upfront costs and quick turn-up time. The shared service may also benefit Business Partners by helping them to reach a wide market of clients who would not normally have the budget for a managed IPS service.

-IBM Managed Security Service for Shared Firewalls: This new service product is designed to provide clients with a front line of security at a low cost. Since the shared appliance lives in the service provider’s data center, it is anticipated that clients will experience lower upfront costs, fast turn-up time and improved security. The shared nature of the service may also create additional opportunities for Business Partners by helping them to reach further down-market to clients who would not normally buy a dedicated appliance and service.

"As a provider of domestic and international telecommunications services, we are a long-time partner of ISS Managed Security Services," said Doug McMaster, VP of Business Development at NTT Communications. "These new services and delivery model demonstrate that IBM is increasingly dedicated to making it painless for its Business Partners to meet today’s market demand for flexible, cost-effective and easy-to-implement technology services."

Helping Business Partners optimize IT for SMBs  

IBM Business Partners can also help SMBs simplify system deployment for faster implementation and fewer business disruptions by selling IBM Implementation ServicePacs. Available immediately, the IBM Implementation ServicePacs are offered as fixed-price and fixed-scope implementation services for key IBM server and storage products, which allow Business Partners to access knowledge-rich technical resources so they can help their SMB clients establish efficient systems management processes. 

"By injecting service products even further into our increasingly simplified portfolio, we’re reemphasizing our focus on providing business and technology solutions which can drive real business outcomes," said Candy Shaughnessy, Vice President of Channels, IBM Global Technology Services. "By directly aligning our services portfolio with our Business Partner go-to-market approach, we’re taking another step in our strategy to improve on the world’s largest global and most efficient delivery network."

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