By Emmanuel Elebeke

INnovation and computer hardware manufacturing company, IBM has showcased a series of technology breakthroughs that extend its capabilities in virtualisation, image management and cloud computing.

IBM said these new technologies are meant to help clients better manage virtualised cloud environments to achieve greater business efficiency while controlling costs. According to the company, the new software can virtualize a data centre within minutes to instantly meet business demand. The firm’s new virtual deployment software is said to be now in open beta which allows organizations to quickly build a cloud environment.

Vice president of Cloud Services, IBM, Ric Telford said that the software has unmatched dynamic provisioning and scheduling of server resources, two capabilities at the core of cloud functionality, just as he revealed that a new image management system has also been revealed that aims to help organisations install, configure and automate the creation of new virtual machines better than ever before.

Telford explained that these new technologies deliver a definitive step forward in simplifying the way IT staff can manage the cloud.

“They come at a critical time for businesses as the demand for computing resources and new services are becoming nearly insatiable, despite generally stagnate budgets,” he added. IBM said it is delivering again on our promise of leading cloud innovation with a focus on fundamentally transforming the economics of IT.

With the new technology, IBM said that spending on cloud-related technologies, hardware and software are expected to reach US$45 billion by 2013.