Why IBM is Bringing Apptio's Portfolio to Microsoft Azure
IBM has announced it will offer Apptio's enterprise planning software through Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, marking an expansion of its presence in the cloud financial management market.
The move brings Apptio's portfolio of enterprise agile planning and IT financial management tools to Azure Marketplace. Apptio, which IBM acquired in 2023, specialises in technology business management software that helps organisations track and optimise their IT spending.
IBM Targetprocess, a software-as-a-service solution for enterprise agile planning, integrates with Azure DevOps to provide portfolio management capabilities.
The software enables finance teams to track technology budgets and workforce allocation across projects whilst implementing technology business management practices – a framework for measuring IT costs and value.
The platform supports various agile frameworks, including the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), providing organisations with flexibility in their project management approach.
IDC's MarketScape and Gartner have recognised IBM Targetprocess as a leader in value stream management and agile project portfolio management.
“Thousands of clients are already using the Apptio portfolio to optimise their IT investments, but many of our joint customers need the flexibility to use it on the Microsoft DevOps platform,” says Nick Otto, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at IBM.
Global marketplace expansion
IBM is expanding its software availability to 14 additional countries through Azure Marketplace, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The expansion includes access to IBM's artificial intelligence platform watsonx, data management tools and integration services such as Aspera on Cloud SaaS, Netezza SaaS, SingleStoreDB SaaS, Streamsets and webMethods Integration Suite.
The collaboration enables customers to purchase IBM software through their existing Microsoft Azure consumption commitments - contractual agreements where organisations commit to spending a set amount on Azure services. This arrangement aims to simplify procurement processes for enterprise customers managing multiple cloud services.
Technology portfolio integration
IBM plans to release additional Apptio products on the Azure Marketplace, including IBM Apptio Costing and Planning, which is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, IBM Cloudability, a cloud financial operations platform, will become available to Microsoft customers in 2025.
The partnership extends IBM Consulting's presence on Azure Marketplace, where it offers nearly 50 services.
These include solutions for hybrid cloud implementation, generative AI deployment, and industry-specific tools such as IBM Consulting Azure OpenAI and IBM Consulting Banking Operations GenAI Co-Pilot.
The collaboration is key to building IBM’s position as a Microsoft technology and consulting partner, with IBM maintaining over 50,000 Microsoft certifications among its consulting staff.
“Today's announcement illustrates how IBM and Microsoft are empowering customers to efficiently use IT resources and adapt to evolving tech needs, especially with the rise of cloud-based AI innovation,” says Dinis Couto, General Manager of GSI Commercial Partners at Microsoft.
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