ARMONK, N.Y., Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM
(NYSE: IBM) and R3, an enterprise software
firm, today announced a new collaboration to formally expand
choice for clients scaling blockchain technology while delivering
their highest levels of performance, compliance and data
privacy.
As part of the collaboration, R3 announced a new open beta
program to bring R3's enterprise blockchain platform, Corda
Enterprise, to IBM LinuxONE next month across the hybrid cloud—both
on-premises and the IBM Cloud—delivered via IBM Cloud Hyper Protect
Services. The R3 on IBM LinuxONE beta program will open on
November 2, 2020 and be available on
IBM Cloud and on-premises. General availability (GA) is expected in
Q1 2021.
Enterprises, especially those in regulated industries, are
increasingly looking to build blockchain solutions with advanced
security and data privacy features while addressing performance.
For clients with highly sensitive data and workloads such as
digital identity, digital assets, central bank digital currencies,
tokens, payments information, or smart contracts being spread
across hybrid cloud environments, IBM LinuxONE provides a highly
secured platform certified to meet the highest level of security
certification commercially available.1
IBM LinuxONE and IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services provide
customers with Confidential Computing capabilities, including 'Keep
Your Own Key' workload isolation encryption capabilities backed by
FIPS 140-2 Level 42 certification, tamper protection
from privileged user access and encryption of all data at-rest and
in-flight, making the IBM public cloud the industry's most secure
and open public cloud for business.
"In keeping with IBM's efforts to bring choice to clients in the
era of hybrid cloud, we support an open ecosystem of blockchain
providers. Bringing R3 to IBM LinuxONE is another exciting example
of leveraging our highly secured Confidential Computing
capabilities to help our clients of all sizes, across any industry,
protect their most sensitive data across the hybrid cloud," said
Ross Mauri, GM of IBM Z. "This
announcement builds on the exciting work over the last several
months to welcome new workloads to LinuxONE and IBM Cloud Hyper
Protect Services in emerging areas like blockchain and digital
asset custody – and we're looking forward to taking this next step
with R3 to build on this momentum with clients of all sizes
from early stage startups to the largest global enterprises."
"The infrastructure of financial markets will be rewritten in
the next few years, with new technologies bringing a complete
shift in how services are created and delivered. While
underlying technologies emerge in several areas like
blockchain—security, robustness and scalability of new solutions
remain critical aspects of any new development. As one of the few
custodians integrating public and permissioned blockchains within a
universal blockchain platform, it's an honor to be part of this
alliance to work with R3 and IBM to bring new solutions to market
designed to facilitate the institutional adoption of digital assets
at scale." Alessio Quaglini, CEO and
Cofounder of Hex Trust, a joint IBM and R3 client.
As the hybrid cloud market opportunity for blockchain continues
to grow, IBM Services is also expanding their existing Corda
capabilities by establishing a R3 center of excellence. This
is intended to provide services to IBM clients that have or plan to
adopt R3 solutions, including trained and Corda-certified solution
architects, strategy and design consultants, subject matter experts
(SMEs) and a delivery pool that can quickly engage to help them
advance their network and solution deployment.
"This center of excellence is being designed to innovate and
incubate client-requested ideas and use cases leveraging IBM's deep
expertise in developing and standing up commercially available
production grade blockchain networks," said Jason Kelley, General Manager, IBM Blockchain
Services. "We will use IBM methods, including design thinking, to
focus efforts on developing interoperability solutions for
disparate blockchain networks, digital assets and currencies and
industry-focused use cases."
As part of this effort, IBM plans to work with clients across
industry ecosystems, in both buyer and supplier roles, across
hybrid ecosystems, underpinned by the openness and security of IBM
LinuxONE, with the goal of advancing a network of networks to a
hybrid of hybrids.
IBM Services, along with infrastructure support on IBM LinuxONE
for R3's Corda Enterprise platform, will complement IBM's existing
blockchain services and offerings to bring even more choice to the
market. IBM Blockchain Services provide organizations a range of
opportunities to access valuable new channels, strategic
partnerships and resources to accelerate growth.
"Corda Enterprise and IBM LinuxONE bring together IBM's best
security, efficiency and scalability features in blockchain and
hybrid cloud. The result is assurance that customers can run their
most sensitive workloads with transparency and flexibility," said
David E. Rutter, CEO of R3
"Blockchain is fast emerging as the technology of choice to drive
digital transformation and R3 and IBM will provide access to the
privacy and security inherent in blockchain technology underpinned
by IBM LinuxONE. This combined with the deeply knowledgeable team
within IBM Services' new R3 center of excellence, can empower
customers to level up their digital transformation drive."
For more information, please visit
http://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/expanding-hybrid-cloud-workloads-on-ibm-linuxone.
Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are
subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals
and objectives only.
Media Contacts
IBM
Elizabeth Banta
Elizabeth.Banta@ibm.com
732-996-4159
R3
Chatsworth Communications
r3@chatsworthcommunications.com
+44 20 7440 9780
1 The Federal Information Processing Standard
(FIPS) Publication 140-2 is a U.S. government computer security
standard used to approve cryptographic modules. It is issued by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Level 4 is
the highest level of security.
2 The
Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2 is
a U.S. government computer security standard used to approve
cryptographic modules. It is issued by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST). Level 4 is the highest level of
security.
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SOURCE IBM