Badrane Kaddour, Africa Growth Market Partner Ecosystem Leader, IBM, a technology firm:
In a world of complexity, who doesn’t like a little simplicity? That’s why IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are making it even easier for clients in Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda to buy, deploy, and do business using IBM Software purchased on the AWS Marketplace.
With 44 IBM Software listings, including 29 Software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings, now available, we’re also making procurement easier by enabling our clients to use their AWS committed spend to purchase IBM Software.
Now clients in 92 countries have access to IBM’s leading technologies through the AWS Marketplace, providing real value with trust, speed and confidence.
Included on marketplace are components of the watsonx AI and Data platform, which allows enterprises to build, scale and govern Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads, as well as two of IBM’s AI Assistants — watsonx Assistant and watsonx Orchestrate.
Watsonx.governance is expected to be available soon. With generative AI on everyone’s mind, we are well on our way to provide AWS clients a full stack to train, tune and deploy AI models with trusted data, speed, and governance.
Cloud marketplaces continue to emerge as the fastest-growing route to market for SaaS software, up 84% CAGR over the last five years, according to a Canalys report: Hyperscaler cloud marketplaces force greater disruption in SaaS channels (July 2023).
It’s not surprising why – they shorten the buying cycle, help consolidate billing, streamline efficiency and make it easier to scale quickly. More than 333,000 clients are actively using the AWS Marketplace today.
Additional products such as IBM’s flagship relational database Db2 Cloud Pak for Data, as well as our portfolio of automation software including Apptio, Turbonomic and Instana, and the IBM Security and Sustainability software portfolios are also making it easier for clients to purchase exactly how they need, with flexible licensing.
But today’s news for clients in Africa is only one example of how IBM and AWS are helping them on their digital transformation journey.
“Africa’s economic growth levels are set to be higher than the global levels this year. One of the key enablers of this growth is the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy, which encourages countries to harness digital technologies and innovation to transform our societies and generate inclusive economic growth,” said Babacar Kane, General Manager and Technology Leader, IBM’s Africa Growth Markets.
“Providing more African markets with access to IBM solutions through AWS Marketplace is a critical step in empowering local businesses to innovate and thrive. This expansion has the potential to enhance the region’s digital infrastructure and drive progress across industries. As an organization committed to supporting Africa’s potential, we are proud to offer scalable, secure, and transformative technology solutions to fuel the continent’s journey toward a vibrant digital future.”
While there’s lots of enthusiasm around our software, IBM is the only company with both AWS-specific consulting expertise and complementary technology.
IBM Consulting is also launching 15 new IBM Consulting professional services and assets on marketplace exclusively designed for AWS.
These new service offerings are aligned to client needs and demand, focused on data and application modernization, security services, and tailored industry-specific solutions – with generative AI capabilities included in select services.
Our partnership with AWS is all about focusing on what’s important to our clients. That’s why we continue building our portfolio of offerings to deliver real value for clients.
Visit here learn more about purchasing IBM Software on the AWS Marketplace.