ASG to build cloud services on IBM platform

ASX-listed ASG Group has chosen IBM hardware to underpin a forthcoming enterprise-grade cloud compute service.

The Big Blue hardware purchased included XIV storage systems, Power 770 systems, System x5 servers, IBM Backup solutions, Brocade switching and IBM Systems Director software.

The hardware would be used in ASG's Sydney and Perth data centres. The latter is expected to open next month.

ASG co-founder and general manager of marketing Steve Tull said that the integrator had a long history deploying services on IBM hardware, including for the Department of Office of Shared Services in Western Australia. 

"We’ve partnered with IBM on more traditional managed services but this time we’ve said we want to get into a particular cloud-based offer," Tull said.

ASG said its cloud compute platform would be scalable and automated.

The company's general manager of strategic business solutions Gerald Strautins said the IBM purchase agreement was critical to ASG’s entry into the Australian cloud compute market.

ASG planned to market the cloud compute platform particularly to customers that it had helped deploy SAP enterprise resource planning software.