If its many proponents are to be believed, OpenStack is on a fast track to becoming the de facto standard for cloud computing. But while the promise of universal programmability across the data center is certainly appealing, complexity remains a major barrier to realizing that vision within the enterprise, with most IT organizations lacking the resources to effectively implement the platform in their environments.

As is happening in the analytics space, vendors are now responding to the growing need for simplicity by bundling the technology into consumable packages aimed at allowing CIOs to push through with their OpenStack initiatives without stretching their budgets to the point of compromising on existing infrastructure investments. That win-win scenario is exactly what IBM promises to deliver with the latest addition to its recently launched Cloud Marketplace, which represents a continuation of the vendor’s efforts to participate what it perceives as a key strategic shift for the industry moving forward.

“Frankly, if you’re a vendor – IBM or anyone else – and you’re not building on these open technologies across this architecture, you’ll be out-innovated by what’s happening here at this conference and in other conferences like it,” Angel Diaz, the vice president of open technology and cloud performance solutions for Big Blue’s software business, told SiliconANGLE in an interview at the Openstack Summit in Atlanta last week. “That’s the way we view it and that’s what we’ve been trying to do systematically.”

IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack marks the latest and one of the most significant milestones yet in the company’s open cloud campaign. Based on the newest Icehouse release of the project, the offering provides out-of-the-box support for the vendor’s entire portfolio of enterprise systems, including its System x and System z series mainframes, the high-end Power server line and the Flex as well as PureFlex converged appliance families.

More importantly, Cloud Manager exposes the native OpenStack API, which provides support for commodity x86-based machines and gives users  the ability to deploy the software on solutions from competing firms. On paper, that makes it possible for customers to have the best of two worlds and benefit from the support of an established vendor without diminishing the freedom of choice afforded by the open source nature of the platform.

Cloud Manager comes built-in with capabilities for managing virtual workloads, including a library of standardized images, automated approval processing and provisioning features, as well as basic metering functionality that lets admins allocate resources to specific individuals, teams and departments as needed.

The software  is available as a standalone product from the Cloud Marketplace and also comes with  IBM’s latest-generation Power systems, which run on the recently debuted POWER8 processor, a sliver of silicon measuring just one square inch that packs 4 billion microscopic transistors and more than 11 miles of copper wiring.  Big Blue said that it’s currently beta testing a hybrid offering that integrates Cloud Manager with its SoftLayer portfolio of public cloud services, but didn’t provide a launch timeframe.

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