IBM and Dassault Forge Global PLM AllianceIBM and Dassault Forge Global PLM Alliance

May 6, 2010

2 Min Read
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On the heels of anacquisition deal that capped off their 28-year partnership, IBM and Dassault Systèmes came together this week, showcasing the first deliverables of a GlobalAlliance around Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

Dassault earlierthis month completed a$600 million acquisition of IBM's PLM Sales and Consulting arm, resultingin a unified company to sell and support its complete line of productdevelopment and engineering software, including CATIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA andDELMIA. At IBM's IMPACT 2010 conference this week, the pair provided moredetails on their previously announced alliance, including delivering moredetails on financing solutions from IBM Global Financing, announcing plans tocreate a joint competency center, as well as showcasing a PLM cloud computingproof-of-concept.

"For 28 years, IBMwas a reseller for Dassault applications, and with this divestiture andacquisition of the IBM organization, IBM is no longer focused on the resale ofDassault applications as a strategic part of its business — that responsibilitylies with Dassault and its other authorized resellers," said Chuck Masur, IBMvice president of the Dassault Systems Global Alliance. For customers, thechange in relationship means no more confusion about who sells what softwarelicense and they also will benefit from increased focus on technicalcollaboration — a model IBM has honed over the years with other key ISVsselling enterprise applications, Masur says.

The pair showed offa technical proof-of-concept that illustrates how customers can take advantageof DS PLM V6 software via a range of delivery options, from on-premise softwaresolutions to a cloud powered by IBM software, hardware and services. The cloudcomputing model is designed to help reduce IT complexity and minimizeoperational costs associated with running PLM, including MCAD, collaborationand other 3-D design tools applications.

"We have manycustomers, especially small and medium-sized business, that need a solutionfrom Dassault, but need them in an environment that is easy to manage and wherethe cost is lower," said Yannick Wittner, the lead at Dassault in charge of theIBM partnership. "We're partnering with IBM to put our V6 applications on theIBM cloud." What is now a proof-of-concept will be commercially available in2011, Wittner says.

In addition to thework in cloud computing, the partners also established a joint PLM competencycenter focused on optimizing DS PLM V6 solutions for performance, reliabilityand scalability on the IBM infrastructure.

The financing part ofthe alliance will give customers access to the IBM Global Financing portfolioto fund projects encompassing both Dassault and IBM technology. Customers willhave access to simple loans, custom leases and terms as long as 60 months tofinance the total PLM solution, including hardware, software and services.

IBM and Dassault Forge Global PLM Alliance

IBM and Dassault Forge Global PLM Alliance_A


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