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Using clouds becomes child's play

GROUP Live and IBM offer attractive cloud platforms for SMEs / fast and reliable access to new customers and markets

Hannover, 3 March, 2010 - IBM Business Partner GROUP Live, a specialist in the development of powerful Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) technologies, has recently released a highly flexible platform that allows software vendors and companies to make their solutions cloud-capable most quickly and easily - without time-consuming and expensive adjustments. The technical infrastructure is provided by IBM. Also, in a first step, both companies have agreed to integrate IBM Lotus and DB2 into the GROUP Live PaaS package and offer both products as Software-as-a-Service on a monthly basis. This package makes it possible for the first time to take care of the development, delivery, operation and management of complex application environments "in the cloud".

GROUP Live, the GROUP Business Software division for cloud computing, offers an automated and easy-to-administrate PaaS solution specifically designed for independent software vendors (ISVs) as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The solution provides an ideal entry into the use of clouds and offers significant benefits in accessing cloud technologies: Companies are in a position to access state-of-the-art infrastructures and make their software SaaS-capable without major investment required at the outset. The solution is designed for complete end-to-end operation, from the infrastructure to the end user. Providing multi-tenant functionality without time-consuming or cost-intensive adjustments, it enables a dynamic extension of resources as well as quick roll-out and flexible licensing, which makes the PaaS solution both economical and easy to use.

Another advantage: With "GROUP Live" as PaaS platform, ISVs and their customers have access to IBM technologies and software solutions such as Lotus and DB2 without having to conclude a separate hosting agreement.

"The combination of GROUP Live and IBM technologies is a really great offer for ISVs and other SMEs", says Bernd Schierholz, Director SME Business and Partnership Solution Center, IBM Germany. "The benefits are enormous. We hope this will boost SaaS business as well as the use of clouds in the SME sector".

"With Platform-as-a-Service, we provide ISVs and companies with a quick an d reliable access to new customers and market segments, and that in the shortest timeframe possible," Andreas Richter, Director International Marketing at GROUP Live, adds. "And fail-safe operation is guaranteed through the underlying infrastructure in the high-availability IBM data center."

The joint offer from IBM and GROUP Live greatly simplifies the cost-efficient delivery of applications in SMEs through comprehensive automation and elaborate management options. The high scalability of the solution ensures that it can grow with the companies' requirements.

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Further information for journalists:

European Headquarters
GROUP Business Software AG
MesseTurm
60308 Frankfurt/Germany
Phone: +49 69 789 8819-0
Fax: +49 69 789 8819-99

North American Headquarters
GROUP Business Software Corporation
40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10005/USA
Phone: +1 212 995-2900
Fax: +1 212 995-2206


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IBM Deutschland GmbH
Christine Paulus
External Relations
Tel: +49 89 4504 1396
Mobil: +49 151 14270446
E-Mail: christine.paulus@de.ibm.com