Intertwining hardware and software is crucial for a hybrid computing environment.

As a result, IBM and VMware Inc. are partnering to create bidirectional application mobility, which makes it easy for organizations to move data back and forth from on-prem to the cloud and from cloud to cloud irrespective of whether they are using containers, virtual machines, or bare metal, according to Scott Baker (pictured), chief marketing officer and vice president of IBM infrastructure portfolio.

“IBM has been a partner with VMware for at least the last 20 years,” Baker pointed out. “One of the things that we announced was actually being one of the first VMware partners to bring both a technical innovation delivery mechanism, as well as technical services, alongside VMware technologies.”

Baker spoke with industry analysts John Furrier and Dave Vellante at last year’s VMware Explore, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the various innovations triggered by the IBM and VMware partnership. (* Disclosure below.)

AI comes into play

AI plays an instrumental role in ensuring cyber resilience. As a result, this cutting-edge technology should be deployed at the controller level so that the anomalous-looking signals from the FlashCore Module can be handled intelligently, according to Baker.

“What you’re going to see IBM infrastructure continue to do is invest heavily into entropy and the ability to measure IO characteristics with respect to anomalous behavior and be able to report against that,” he pointed out. “If you look at the FlashCore Modules that IBM produces, we actually treat that as a computational storage offering, where you store the data but it’s got intelligence built into the processor.”

Since the hybrid-cloud architecture creates consistency, it enables enterprises to expand their scope, according to Baker. As a result, organizations don’t have to worry about moving things across different environments.

“Something that allows them to expand the level of control that they have without having to specialize on equipment and having to redo things as you move from one medium to the next,” he said.  “What they’re coming to understand is that it’s the applications and the data that’s hybrid.”

For enhanced cybersecurity, storage should be at the epicenter of conversations. Therefore, how data is stored ought to be of utmost importance, according to Baker.

“People are beginning to realize the importance that storage plays as the data custodian for the organization,” he said. “Certainly, you have humans that are involved in setting strategies, but ultimately whatever those policies are that get applied have to be applied to a device that must act as a responsible custodian for the data it holds.”

Since VMware creates a conducive partnership environment, Baker believes this approach comes in handy when meeting customer needs and expectations. Therefore, the IBM-VMware partnership is centered on creating unique value for enterprises.

“VMware does … a really good job of trying to create a working space for everyone to be an equal partner with them,” he stated. “When we look at the customers that we support today, what they’re looking for isn’t just a solid product. They’re looking for a solid ecosystem partnership.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of VMware Explore:

(* Disclosure: This is an unsponsored editorial segment. However, theCUBE is a paid media partner for VMware Explore. VMware Inc. and other sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage have no editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE