Dealing with computers is a complex job. As companies go to the cloud, this job hasn’t gotten any easier. The complexity of a modern business information technology setup is a stumbling block for many companies. Because of this, IBM Corp. is developing new technologies to help smooth that path.

“The trend we’re seeing is people are trying to modernize their traditional application environment and free up people and time through automation,” said Ed Walsh (pictured), general manager of storage and software-defined infrastructure at IBM.

Walsh spoke with Lisa Martin (@LisaDaliMartin) and Dave Vellante (@dvellante), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, during this week’s VMworld 2017 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. They discussed automation, innovation and meeting customer needs. (* Disclosure below.)

IT complexity and automation services

Companies are challenged by the complexity of IT. One way to handle this complexity is through automation, according to Walsh. Cloud offerings, in private hybrid clouds, provide many of those automated services. Automating things like backup and recovery frees the IT team for other duties. In this way, the company gains a measure of agility, Walsh added.

IBM has taken advantage of this trend. Especially in the storage arena, the company has seen significant improvements to its bottom line. One of the strengths IBM shows in this regard is its ability to help customers modernize.

“We also help people through these multiple eras. IBM has been through every era of compute, and clients give us credit for that,” Walsh said.

To back up this business model, IBM has refreshed its storage portfolio and launched new products. They also plan to bring Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence project, to this field. Watson, as a service, can provide great value to customers, according to Walsh. Likewise, the industry giant commands a hefty portfolio of lesser products it can bring into the mix.

“The key thing is to understand all that capability from research and bring it to the offering management team,” Walsh said.

IBM has discovered that leveraging new technology to improve present offerings is a force multiplier. By looking at the industry and the needs of its clients, the company can uncover exactly what serves the market best, Walsh explained. On the other side, IBM has also reorganized to align its customer interactions into the process. This streamlines its offerings to better meet customer needs, he added.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of VMworld 2017. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for VMworld 2017. Neither VMware Inc. nor IBM have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE