IBM rolls out AI, cloud tools to help firms prepare for future disruptions

Armonk, New York-based technology giant IBM has rolled out artificial intelligence (AI), edge and cloud solutions to help its clients transform digitally.

The new services will help chief information officers (CIOs) automate information technology (IT) infrastructures in their companies to be more resilient to future disruptions and reduce costs, CEO Arvind Krishna said during the two-day IBM Think Digital 2020 event, which began on Tuesday. The keynote address was attended by over 90,000 people.

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By 2024, enterprises that are powered by AI will be able to respond to customers, competitors, regulators and partners 50% faster than those that do not use the technology, according to market intelligence firm IDC.

To that end, IBM introduced Watson AIOps, a solution built on container platform Red Hat OpenShift. It uses AI to automate how enterprises self-detect, diagnose and respond to IT anomalies in real time, the company said in a statement. 

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With the solution, which runs across hybrid cloud environments, enterprises can autonomously manage workloads across a massive volume of edge devices, it said. Telecommunication providers can orchestrate virtual and container network functions to help them provide new services today and as 5G adoption expands.

The company also introduced an accelerator for application modernisation with AI capability, within its cloud modernisation service. The solution will help clients reduce the overall effort and costs associated with application modernisation, the statement said. The series of tools in the solution will optimise a company’s end-to-end modernisation journey, accelerating the analysis and recommendations for various architectural and microservices options.

“Technology platforms are the basis for competitive advantage in the 21st century. They will determine how quickly you can pivot to new market opportunities, how well you serve your clients, how much you can scale, and how fast you can respond to a crisis like the one we’re facing today,” Krishna said, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Think Digital is an online conference that aims to connect clients, partners and thought leaders around the world with each other.

Last month, the technology giant withdrew its full-year earnings guidance due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The company posted a better-than-expected net income owing to the strong cloud revenue growth of 19% during the first quarter.