Press release:

Growth Markets Embracing IBM PureSystems to Help Ease IT Complexity and Skills Shortage

-- 700+ Business Partners adopt IBM PureSystems, 1,300 Complete IBM Training
-- 160+ Solutions and Patterns of Expertise from IBM and Business Partners across 20 industries
-- New financing options for IBM PureSystems allow organizations to defer first payment for 90 days

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Armonk, N.Y. - 02 Aug 2012: As organizations around the world increasingly look for ways to reduce IT complexity and overcome the growing worldwide skills shortage, IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced growing momentum of IBM PureSystems among global clients and business partners. In addition to education and technical guidance, IBM is also announcing new financing options as well as increased support from more than 700 of its Business Partners.

According to industry experts, approximately three-quarters of global employers cite a lack of experience, skills or knowledge as the primary reason for the difficulty filling IT positions. As a result, organizations are searching for new computing models that don’t require the additional commitment of significant resources or employee training to set up and maintain. [1]  

IBM PureSystems meets this demand by providing patterns of expertise – a new technology model that builds on the experience of thousands of IBM clients and radically streamlines the set-up and management of hardware and software resources. 

Global Clients Embrace IBM PureSystems  

Since launching in April, clients around the world are using IBM PureSystems to reduce IT cost and complexity. For example: 

·        BPTP, a leading Indian real estate company, selected IBM PureSystems to streamline its IT infrastructure to improve the overall home buying experience for its customers. Established in 2003, BPTP has experienced rapid growth over the last decade. Sustaining and building upon this growth required BPTP to find a better computing and storage solution. To meet these challenges, it selected IBM PureSystems for all of its processing and storage requirements. 

·        PCCW, a leading information technology outsourcing company based in Hong Kong, has selected IBM PureSystems as the foundation for its new Enterprise Solutions Superstore – an online environment for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). As a result, they are now able to offer customers applications on the cloud using a Software-as-a-Service model. 

·        ValeCard, a multi-industry conglomerate based in Brazil, has achieved 40 percent growth annually over the past three-years. Facing rapid expansion of its business, ValeCard turned to IBM PureSystems to manage thousands of transaction records from contracts with large companies and government entities. Additionally, ValeCard is using IBM PureSystems to help it meet an increasing set of new regulations and standards for data availability.  

“One of the driving factors behind ValeCard’s growth is our ability to provide clients with customized solutions,” said Jose Geraldo Ortigosa, ValeCard Operations Manager. “IBM PureSystems provides us with the latest Cloud technology and other key capabilities we need to maintain and accelerate this growth.” 

IBM’s Ecosystem of 700 Partners Drives PureSystems Adoption 

For IBM Business Partners, PureSystems creates a new opportunity to help clients solve the complexity of enterprise IT, reduce costs and encourage innovation. From resellers to distributors and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), more than 700 Business Partners are supporting IBM PureSystems. PureSystems currently run tens of thousands of existing ISV applications across four operating environments including Windows, Linux, AIX, and IBM System i. Additionally, Business Partners have created more than 160 new solutions and applications that are optimized to run on PureSystems. These patterns of expertise, which span 20 industries, can be accessed through the IBM PureSystems Centre. They include leading solutions from some of the world’s largest ISVs, including ERP systems and applications for the banking, marketing, healthcare and energy industries.  

Numerous partners are also installing PureSystems in their own datacenters. For example Computer Gross, a managed service provider in Italy, and OneTree Solutions, an ISV from Luxembourg are both using the cloud capabilities of IBM PureSystems as a way to more easily meet the needs of their customers. 

"Because IBM offers all this technology in one solution, PureSystems provides benefits that are more than the sum of the parts," said Denis Avrilionis, Managing Director, OneTree Solutions. "Using the new expert integrated system and the patterns of expertise, OneTree Solutions was able to slash deployment of our PriceLenz software from three weeks to eight minutes. In our understanding, PureSystems is the most advanced integrated cloud solution in the market." 

To help address the new opportunity that PureSystems presents, IBM is also providing training, marketing, certifications and technical validation support to business partners. For instance, dozens of IBM Innovation Centers in cities such as Bangalore, Dublin, Johannesburg and Shanghai are helping Business Partners develop and test their applications using IBM PureSystems. Business Partners can also bring their clients to IBM Innovation Centers to see PureSystems technology at work.  

In addition, more 1,300 business partners -- ISVs, managed service providers, resellers, system integrators and distributors – have been showing their support and interest in PureSystems by attending Business Partner Day and training events in 27 cities around the world. PureSystems cloud capabilities are also drawing interest, with 500 developers using thePureSystems Cloud Trial to create applications through IBM's SmartCloud that are ready to run on IBM's new expert integrated systems. 

IBM Offers New Financing Options for PureSystems      

While technology options for businesses are growing rapidly, companies are also searching for strategic solutions to help them shift spending away from maintaining infrastructure and toward innovative investments.  

For example, to help credit-qualified clients easily acquire IBM PureSystems, IBM Global Financing is making available a range of financing options. As a result, clients will be able to avoid paying cash up-front, while lowering their total cost of ownership. This is the first time that clients can lease the entire value of the system, including hardware and software. 

Credit-qualified clients that elect financing can see immediate benefits with PureSystems while deferring their first payment for 90 days. Additionally, IBM Global Asset Recovery Services can buy back servers, including those made by HP and Oracle, for clients migrating to IBM PureSystems.  

Several clients are already taking advantage of this new financing as they deploy their new IBM PureSystems. For instance, BPTP chose to finance the PureSystems solution with IBM Global Financing, which assures them a faster return on investment and lower ownership risk.  

PureSystems, the result of $2 billion in research, development and acquisitions over four years, has been designed to help change the economics of IT and help organizations meet skills shortages by reducing IT costs and complexity so they can put more resources towards innovation and growth. With PureSystems, IBM has taken the unprecedented step of completely integrating all of the technology components – virtualized servers, storage, networking and cloud management software – needed to enable a customer to turn on a private cloud system within minutes. In addition, the highly scalable PureSystems cloud is delivered with built-in security. 

There are two models of the PureSystems family available – PureFlex System and PureApplication System. PureFlex System enables organizations to more efficiently create and manage an infrastructure, while PureApplication System allows organizations to quickly deploy and reduce the cost and complexity of managing applications. Both have already shipped to leading clients in 5 continents. 

For more information on IBM PureSystems visit: www.ibm.com/press/pure  

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1. ManpowerGroup, 2011 Talent Shortage Survey Results.  

IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government clients. Rates and availability are based on a client’s credit rating, financing terms, offering type, equipment and product type and options, and may vary by country. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or withdrawal without notice and may not be available in all countries. 

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, PureSystems, PureFlex, PureApplication, Smarter Planet and the planet icon are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. For a current list of IBM trademarks, please seewww.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml  

All other company, product or service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of others. Statements concerning IBM's future development plans and schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Reseller prices may vary.

Press release:

IBM to Boost Technical Skills in Mauritius

New programs to help develop technical talent in the Indian Ocean Island Region

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Port Louis, Mauritius - 25 Jul 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Mauritius to help meet the demand for Computer Science skills in the Indian Ocean island region. The joint academic initiative will provide technology and training resources while boosting support for computer science professionals at the University. In tandem, IBM also launched a Mauritian technical skills training pilot initiative for IT specialists, which will be rolled out to nine other African countries.

As part of the agreement with the University of Mauritius, IBM will provide access to the latest open source and IBM Technology, assisting the University to remain current with cutting edge resources. IBM technical staff will provide guest lectures to students and IBM will also offer research collaboration for University researchers.  

Talent development is a key element of IBM’s 2015 road map for sustainable business expansion and making markets within emerging economies.

IBM supports several other universities across Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa, helping to develop graduates with vital business and technology skills.  

 “This collaboration with IBM provides an excellent opportunity to our students, staff to get acquainted with leading technologies and best practices being used and applied in the industry. They will also benefit from IBM's innovations and enriching experience. This initiative supports our efforts to train highly skilled computer scientists to meet the pressing need by industry for such skills in the Indian Ocean region, “said Raj Kishen Moloo, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of Mauritius.  

As part of its broader program of developing technology skills, IBM also launched an IBM Africa Technical Institute in Mauritius this week. The company is offering education about IBM technologies and how these solutions can help solve some of the challenges facing businesses and the public sector in Africa.  Delivered by IBM experts, the sessions are open to academia, IT specialists, business partners and clients.  

IBM’s decision to launch the training initiative in Mauritius complements the desire by the island nation to export IT and financial skills into Africa. Mauritius is strengthening the expertise of its workforce in order to support numerous growth opportunities in Mauritius and Africa.    

“We are planning to augment ongoing initiatives by the Government of Mauritius to expand and enhance the skills base and talent within its workforce,” said Yusuf Assenjee is IBM Territory Manager, Indian Ocean Islands.  

With a robust client base in Mauritius, IBM customers include Compagnie Mauricienne de Textile (CMT), Air Mauritius and the International Card Processing Systems (ICPS). All three companies are based in    Mauritius with a strong international and pan-African presence. Earlier this year, IBM extended its operation in Mauritius as part of its expansion strategy across Africa.  

The Technical Institute will move to other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Mozambique in the next few months. The collaboration with the University of Mauritius and the Technical Institute are part of a broad investment program by IBM across the African continent  

 “Our investment in talent development and skills is further demonstration of our overall commitment to Africa,” said IBM General Manager for Africa, Jean-Christophe Knoertzer. “Africa is a rich continent in natural resources and commodities but the future lies in exporting services and talent development is one of the keys to success."  

IBM’s commitment to strengthening skills across the continent encompasses the recent cooperative agreement with the Government of Tanzania on research and education. Similar skills development related agreements have been signed in Ghana and Kenya. In June 2012, IBM also launched the LeadAfrica Graduate Program that is providing hands on induction to top 21 graduates from 6 African countries. Africa is also a focus region for IBM's Corporate Citizen Corps, a corporate version of the US Peace Corps.  

IBM is currently present in more than 20 African countries, including Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.  

About IBM

For more information on IBM, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/index.wss

For more information on IBM in Africa, please visit:http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/34710.wss

For more information about IBM's university programs, visit www.ibm.com/press/university orhttp://www.ibm.com/academicinitiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

F5’s New Technical Certification Program Helps Define and Measure the Skills Required for Today’s IT Complexities

F5 to partner with educational institutions to deliver specialized training for Application Delivery Networking

INTEROP, LAS VEGAS, May 08, 2012

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), today announced a new F5 Technical Certification Program designed to address the growing complexity and the resulting knowledge gap in today’s IT organizations.

Additional Resources

• F5 Technical Certification Program Overview
• F5 Technical Certification Program FAQ
• F5 Application Delivery Fundamentals Exam Blueprint

As IT organizations deploy mobile and cloud-based solutions, their application environments are becoming more complex than ever, and users are becoming dissatisfied with slow and unreachable applications. This IT trend is driving the need—and raising the bar—for skilled technologists who have expertise in networking and applications and, more importantly, an in depth understanding of the interaction between the two.

In a recent report¹, Gartner, Inc. noted, “Application delivery and optimization solutions are underutilized and poorly understood in many IT organizations. The skills required to fully utilize these solutions are broad and touch on multiple IT disciplines.” The report further states, “One of the challenges is to find individuals with the appropriate skill set and, more importantly, retaining the people with these difficult-to-find skills, as there is a recognized shortage and many with this skill will gravitate to the vendor community. The role played by the application delivery architect demands strong people skills and broad technical skills.”

Launching in third quarter of calendar year 2012, the new F5 Technical Certification Program is unique in that it focuses not only on F5 products and technology, but also emphasizes the underlying application delivery expertise required to design, deploy, and manage solutions in complex Application Delivery Networking environments, which often include multiple vendors’ solutions.

“F5’s new Technical Certification Program completely reevaluates the skills and knowledge that are necessary to meet the demands of application delivery, without regard for where those skills traditionally have been taught or used—in the network, application, or some other area of IT,” said Ken Salchow, Program Manager for Technical Certification at F5. “We are committing more than 12,000 hours of subject matter experts’ time to create the skills assessments, learning tools and a rigorous examination process for individuals who want to deepen their understanding of application delivery, elevate their professional standing, and expand their ability to deploy world-class solutions.”

Training + Certification = Success

F5, customers, and partners recognize the benefits and business value of hiring exceptionally qualified individuals to manage sophisticated application environments. To date, the challenge has been how best to identify whether someone has the necessary knowledge and skills. F5’s new multi-dimensional certifications will help identify individuals who already possess these exceptional qualifications.

F5 is actively working with targeted educational institutions to develop and deliver the first application delivery-focused curriculum. These new curricula will provide prospective students a career development path that more accurately reflects the demands of modern IT organizations.

“We have found that many of the skills necessary for application delivery are vendor neutral and are already being taught,” said Joe Taylor, Director, Service Operations and Training at F5. “The problem is that these distinct skills haven’t been taught in a single program or combined into an ADN-type experience. We will use the skills assessments we develop during the certification exam process to help guide the colleges and universities we’re working with in developing training courses and associated labs that blend application, network, and security knowledge into a dedicated ADN learning experience. We hope to provide both web-based training (WBT) and instructor-led training (ILT) courses to support learners who want to kick-start their application delivery careers.”

Supporting Quotes

“Application delivery knowledge is complicated as it goes well beyond a single vendor’s product,” said Patrick McFadin, Chief Architect at Hobsons. “No one has really addressed that—until now. The new F5 Technical Certification Program satisfies a long overdue need in the market and it makes sense that it would come from F5 given the strength they already have in developing knowledgeable technologists with user groups, industry events, and their DevCentral™ community. Their technology is market leading and now, so is their certification program.”

“In many organizations, application network delivery products are often underutilized, so customers look to us to provide the level of expertise required to support their increasingly complex network environments,” said Al Hagaman, Director of Sales and General Manager at Sirius Computer Solutions. “F5’s new certification program will make it easier for F5 partners to find individuals with the depth of industry expertise to ensure customers are getting the most out of their investment in F5 technology. By integrating traditional networking knowledge with advanced understanding of application layer (L4-7) protocols, F5 is defining a new level of professional and technical expertise that’s needed industry wide today and supports our and F5’s commitment to project success and customer satisfaction.”

“Application delivery has become a core discipline for many of our customers,” said Christian Grusemann, Director Business Line Information Security at Computacenter AG & Co. oHG. “As such, it’s positive news that F5 is launching this certification program, which will formalize the skills needed to execute projects that require highly specialized knowledge in this area. It is a move that is beneficial to both partner and customer communities and supports our joint aim of delivering great customer service.”

Availability

Candidates can begin registering for the F5 Technical Certification Program beginning third quarter of calendar year 2012 through the Pearson Credential Manager. The Credential Management System will notify registered individuals of exam availability. Testing will be available through Pearson VUE testing centers worldwide.

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks, Inc., the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), helps the world’s largest enterprises and service providers realize the full value of virtualization, cloud computing, and on-demand IT. F5® solutions help integrate disparate technologies to provide greater control of the infrastructure, improve application delivery and data management, and give users seamless, secure, and accelerated access to applications from their corporate desktops and smart devices. An open architectural framework enables F5 customers to apply business policies at “strategic points of control” across the IT infrastructure and into the public cloud. F5 products give customers the agility they need to align IT with changing business conditions, deploy scalable solutions on demand, and manage mobile access to data and services. Enterprises, service and cloud providers, and leading online companies worldwide rely on F5 to optimize their IT investments and drive business forward. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technology. For a complete listing of F5 community sites, please visit www.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html.

F5 and DevCentral are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

¹Three Phases to Improve Application Delivery Teams; Gartner, Inc.; Mark Fabbi, Joe Skorupa; 22 November 2011

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