Cloud computing offers extensive flexibility in how businesses can transform, modernize and move around data. However, if the underlying technology — the storage — doesn’t work, the whole thing falls apart, according to Eric Herzog (pictured), chief marketing officer and vice president of worldwide storage channels at IBM Corp.

“What we’ve done at IBM is we have made all of our solutions on the storage side,” Herzog said. One such solution focuses on the scalability of storage. For example, with IBM’s Spectrum Scale software, a high-performance clustered file system, data can be automatically moved to the customer’s cloud target.

Herzog spoke with John Furrier (@furrier) and Stu Miniman (@stu), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Cisco Live event in Orlando, Florida. They discussed IBM’s collaboration with Cisco Systems Inc. and how the company is working to improve software solutions. (* Disclosure below.)

Support for everyone

“The key thing here on scalability is transparency, ease of use and automation,” Herzog said. “And IBM’s storage solutions, from a software perspective, are all designed with that data mobility in mind, that transportability, both on-premises and out to any cloud infrastructure they have.”

When talking with Cisco clients, the level of integration and teamwork across the IBM and Cisco collaboration is what stands out, Herzog explained. For example, IBM Cloud Private has Cisco Validated Designs for object storage, file storage and block storage.

IBM software has been developed to support everyone’s gear, as well, Herzog added. The software that has been created backs ups all gear, whether it is through distributors or even direct competitors. “One of the powers that IBM has, from a software perspective, is always being able to support not only our own gear, but supporting all of our competitors as well,” Herzog said.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Cisco Live event. (* Disclosure: IBM sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither IBM nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE