IBM announced that the availability of its software portfolio is expanding globally to 92 countries in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors (ISVs) that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The expansion beyond Denmark, France, Germany, United Kingdom and United States, where the software is currently available, will help make procurement easier for clients, streamline purchasing and create new efficiencies, while allowing them to use their AWS committed spend for IBM software purchases. According to a Canalys study, cloud marketplaces continue to emerge as the fastest-growing route to market for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software, expected to increase to USD 45 billion by 2025, up 84% CAGR over five years.

Marketplaces also help shorten the buying cycle, consolidate billing, and make it easier to scale software deployments quickly. Today's news provides clients more access to IBM'sartificial intelligence (AI) and data technologies within a portfolio of 44 listings and 29 SaaS offerings available for purchase. Included among those technologies are components of the w Watsonx AI and Data platform, which allow enterprises to build, scale and govern AI workloads.

Watsonx.data, a fit-for-purpose data store built on an open data lakehouse architecture, and Watsonx.ai, a next generation enterprise studio for AI builders are available in AWS Marketplace as well as two of IBM's AI Assistants -- w Watsonx Assistant and w Watsonx Orchestrate. Watsonx. governance is expected to be available soon.

Other software includes IBM's database Db2 Cloud Pak for Data as well as a portfolio of automation software including Apptio, Turbonomic and Instana, and the IBM Security and Sustainability software portfolios - all built on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS. The cloud-native software enables clients to deploy on AWS while flexible licensing, including SaaS and subscription, makes it easier for clients to purchase exactly how they want. IBM is also launching 15 new IBM Consulting professional services and assets on AWS Marketplace, exclusively designed for AWS.

These new service offerings are aligned to client needs and demand, focused on data and application modernization, security services, and tailored industry-specific solutions - withative AI capabilities included in select services. IBM Consulting also brings 24,000 AWS certifications and a dedicated team of experts trained in the latest AWS technologies to help clients with tailored recommendations grounded in industry best practices.