IBM is announcing Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration, a proposed industry-wide initiative aimed at simplifying collaboration across the software delivery lifecycle. Through the initiative, IBM is inviting business partners, developers, ISVs, and customers to collaborate on a common architecture, based on open Internet standards, to effectively integrate their software development processes.
Currently, software development tools vendors work with private vocabularies, formats and data repositories, which act as barriers to openly sharing resources across the software lifecycle. With Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration, IBM is proposing an open architecture to help ensure the interoperability of software development resources such as project requirements and test plans, which would ultimately allow a customer to assemble their ideal software development platform using preferred tools and vendors. Interested participants may join the initiative at http://www.jazz.net/.
IBM also announced new software under development by Business Partners Black Duck Software, CAST Software, CM-Logic, iRise, Mainsoft, QSM, Ravenflow, SourceIQ, Surgient, VMLogix and WebLayers to integrate with new IBM Rational Jazz-based products announced at the recent IBM Rational Software Development Conference. The new offerings help customers deliver more reliable, higher-quality software to market while managing costs.
Furthering its global software development strategy, IBM is also announcing the IBM Rational Ensemble, a free Jazz technology offering for IBM business partners, that provides independent software vendors (ISVs), resellers and systems integrators with education and services for IBM Jazz-based technology (see the related following story) to quickly accelerate customer awareness and adoption. The Rational Ensemble provides Web portal access with links into Jazz community pages and content, specialized sales and marketing resources for Jazz offerings, go-to market training and materials, educational Webcasts and events, Jazz Web content syndication, and access to Jazz experts through special live and online events. Business Partners can join the IBM Rational Ensemble at http://www.jazz.net/.
"Businesses are looking to maximize the value they get from their software development investments while balancing teams comprised of globally dispersed project stakeholders," said Scott Hebner, vice president of marketing and strategy, IBM Rational Software. "We are teaming with our partners to help organizations adopt a global approach to their software development and transform the way they work together."
New IBM Rational Business Partner Offerings and Incentives
While the IBM Rational business partner community continues to grow, more than 1,000 business partners re-sold and fulfilled IBM Rational software products last year. At the same time, more than 60 ISV partners delivered more than 80 integrations of their products with the IBM Rational portfolio of offerings through the Ready for IBM Rational software validation program.
To support the growing community, IBM is offering new Web-based tools and offerings that make it easier for business partners to grow their businesses with IBM software. IT decision-makers rely heavily on search engines to locate products and services. IBM is now offering Internet Marketing and Web Content Syndication to deliver and share up-to-date IBM and business partner offerings and product information to assist in customer buying decisions. IBM is also providing Search Optimization Guidance to business partners looking to optimize their Web 2.0 technologies such as RSS, podcasts, and blogs, as well as get tips for how to optimize Google and Yahoo! searches for better results.
IBM is also providing new sales and marketing tools to business partners looking to sell IBM Rational software into specialized customer environments. Grow Your Business with IBM Software is a Web-based tool that automatically recommends IBM Rational cross-sell software scenarios that utilize business partners' existing areas of expertise and available skills. Grow Your Business with IBM Software helps IBM Rational business partners plan for profitable growth with links to IBM-cross-brand marketing programs, product sales and marketing dashboards, and ROI analysis. For more information, business partners can visit: www.ibm.com/partnerworld/growyourbusiness.
New IBM Rational Sales and Marketing Playbooks containing go-to-market content and demand generation information are now available to IBM Rational business partners. Playbooks including "Streamline and Optimize Portal Development," "Prevent On-line Security Breaches of Web Applications," and "Extend and Modernize Existing System i Applications" and many others are available at: www.ibm.com/software/rational/partners/. An IBM Rational Team Concert playbook will be made available later this year.
IBM is announcing new enhancements to its Rational Software Comes to You offering. IBM provides what a business partner needs to create a tailored event for customers in their own market including all relevant content from the 2008 IBM Rational Software Development Conference. Business partners can now co-host and manage events with IBM, infused with specific partner value and offerings, to gain market recognition and drive new leads for software and services. For more information about Rational Software Comes to You, business partners can visit www.ibm.com/jct9002c/partnerworld/mem/mkt/mkt_play_rsc2u.html.
In related Rational Software news, IBM announced winners of the inaugural Rational Awards recognizing business partners for delivering outstanding value to clients and innovative approaches to solving business issues.
This year's recipients
Ascendant Technology, BSD Group, CROZ, and Rocket Gang all were honored by IBM.
IBM Rational business partners BigLever, Instantiations, Ivar Jacobson International, Protecode, Relativity, Stoneworks, Surgient, and WebLayers have product integrations and validations with products across the IBM Rational product portfolio including Telelogic DOORS and IBM Rational BuildForge. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/isv.
For more information on IBM PartnerWorld, visit www.ibm.com/partnerworld.
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