IBM Edge2013 is kicking off today at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada and will run through until the 14th.  We’ll be broadcasting live from theCUBE for the entire event, so be sure to tune into SiliconANGLE.TV for all-day coverage, featuring exclusive interviews and analysis.

IBM recently coughed up $2 billion to acquire SoftLayer, a fast-growing cloud service provider that directly competes with AWS in the public cloud space. Wikibon Chief Analyst Dave Vellante stated that IBM will use the SoftLayer platform to build technologies on top of its existing products to accelerate the delivery of those services. One opportunity for build-out is OpenStack, an open-source cloud operating system that poses a huge threat for both Amazon and VMware. SiliconANGLE contributing Editor John Casaretto stated that SoftLayer will allow IBM to continue to support and build OpenStack without encroaching or dominating it.

What to Expect at #IBM Edge2013 : How Will SoftLayer Buy Fit Into OpenStack Party?

In March, IBM announced that it will be fully embracing OpenStack by switching all of its cloud services and software to open-cloud architecture, to allow customers to easily alternate between equipment and service vendors, and do away with any worries of vendor lock in.

SoftLayer is built on the Citrix CloudPlatform, based on Apache CloudStack, as well as Citrix XenServer and Citrix NetScaler.  Though some may think that IBM is abandoning OpenStack with the SoftLayer acquisition, IBM’s VP of SmartCloud Enterprise service begs to differ.  IBM recently announced its platinum sponsorship of OpenStack and it’s not about to throw that out of the window.  IBM plans to port all of the OpenStack research and development into SoftLayer’s back end.  Which ultimately means that SoftLayer customers could eventually end up on OpenStack.

“We are going to be extending SoftLayer’s cloud offerings to include OpenStack,” Quan said. “That means not just underlying technology but API compatibility.”

Another huge drawback for Amazon, with IBM charging its way into the cloud, is that Big Blue was able to derail the $600 million contract between the CIA and Amazon by stating that competing cloud services were not given a chance.  The CIA allegedly “failed to properly evaluate prices and waived a contract requirement” which gave AWS an unfair advantage.  The U.S. Government Accountability Office accepted IBM’s complaints and recommended that the CIA reopen negotiations with IBM and other bidders.

And recently, IBM announced its four-stage architecture that would help mobile DevOps push further.  IBM Director of  Capabilities Marketing Randy Newell stated that the DevOps process is comprised of four Adoption Paths namely Plan & measure, Develop & test, Release & deploy, and Monitor & Optimize and introduced new products for each of the path at Innovate 2013.

It is expected that more information regarding its cloud strategy will be revealed at IBM Edge2013.

To follow the buzz at IBM Edge2013, you can check out SIliconANGLE’s coverage on SiliconANGLE.tv or our YouTube channel The SiliconANGLE Network.  You can also get the latest news from IBM on Twitter @IBMEdge and #IBMEdge, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the IBM Storage Community blog.