Cloud-market leader Microsoft has to date been the most-bullish and visible proponent of the hybrid cloud. “We have 90,000 cloud architects to accelerate this movement,” Rometty said in a conference call with financial analysts that also featured Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst. One large customer of both IBM and Red Hat was also quite bullish on the deal. Microsoft opened the year with an acquisition to expand its capabilities in the hybrid cloud, a sector that I wrote had become “the centerpiece of Microsoft’s strategy” in an article called Microsoft Intensifies Focus On White-Hot Hybrid Cloud Market With First Acquisition Of 2018. If IBM and Red Hat can maintain their focus on making this a huge win for customers, they stand a very good chance of generating an outsized victory for themselves as well.

Source: Forbes October 30, 2018 11:15 UTC