IBM touts 'InterCloud,' cloud data migration tools

Summary: IBM researchers have cooked up InterCloud, a patent pending approach, designed to add resiliency to cloud computing and better protect information.

IBM on Friday said it has developed cloud storage software that's designed to allow customers move data across multiple clouds easily.

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The company said its techniques, dubbed InterCloud, is patent pending and designed to add resiliency to cloud computing and better protect information.

IBM also noted that InterCloud is more of a cloud-of-clouds approach designed to tie services together and avoid vendor lock-in.

Big Blue has gone on the offensive against Amazon Web Services and is looking to use its SoftLayer acquisition to sell infrastructure as a service as well as its portfolio of software and platform tools.

Separately, IBM said it won a $1.3 billion contract to build cloud infrastructure for seven European banks. 

IBM has also developed software called InterCloud Storage to use storage systems, third party private and public clouds for backup, sharing and data migration.

Here are the diagrams for InterCloud:

InterCloud Storage (ICStore) allows storage to be dragged and dropped into any cloud regardless of vendor. SoftLayer will be the default storage provider.

Lance Crosby, CEO of IBM's SoftLayer, said that IBM will migrate its cloud portfolio of 50 to 60 properties to SoftLayer's infrastructure and will have the first dozen live in February.

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Colocation provider, integrator team on cloud migration solution

Summary: InfoRelay Online Systems is teaming with American Technology Services to help businesses move applications to its cloud infrastructure service.

With so many cloud colocation facilities and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) options to choose from, what makes one look better than another?

IaaS provider InfoRelay Online Systems believes one secret lies in helping businesses move their on-premise assets into the cloud.

That's one reason InfoRelay, which operates 15 colocation facilities across the United States, is teaming up with integrator American Technology Services on a cloud migration solution.

The service follows a service of best practices for designing, integrating and implementing applications and virtual instances within InfoRelay's SnapScale Cloud.

The SnapScale IaaS includes a series of Windows and Linux templates, upgraded hypervisors and comprehensive backup restoration options. It is managed in InfoRelay's SSAE16 II certified data centers, which provide multiple layers of security, data protection, and autoscaling.

Both of these companies have been around for almost 20 years. InfoRelay hosts cloud implementations for a wide range of companies, including many healthcare firms and e-commerce platform providers. American Technology Services provides cloud broker services, private cloud infrastructure and virtualization solutions.

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist specializing in transformative technology and innovation