In addition to hosted storage and storage management, IBM Global Services offers Web hosting and solutions for e-marketplaces and application service providers. The company also is developing network-delivered services for the wireless market. Ginni Rometty, general manager of strategy for IBM Global Services, said network-delivered services are a natural extension of the company's strategic outsourcing business and its consulting and integration skills. Escalating storage management costs and a shortage of skills to deploy new storage technologies also are driving demand for network-delivered solutions.
Customers can also choose a hybrid solution, keeping some data in-house and outsourcing the rest.
In addition to offering Managed Storage Services directly to customers, IBM will deliver storage services through ISPs, ASPs and other leading hosting service providers, as well as through IBM's global network of storage business partners.