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IBM acquired Pliant in its second deal of the year
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Pliant brings with it a host of API integrations with key infrastructure and cloud service providers
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Boosting its capabilities will help IBM better compete in an increasingly crowded multi-cloud networking market
IBM went all in on multi-cloud networking last year with the launch of its Hybrid Cloud Mesh product. Now it’s looking to build that muscle even more with the acquisition of IT and network infrastructure automation company Pliant.
Pliant emerged from stealth in 2019 with $2.5 million in seed funding, aiming to build a low- to no-code automation platform for IT Ops, SecOps and DevOps teams. It raised an undisclosed amount of additional funding in 2020 and another $10 million in 2021.
Andrew Coward, GM of software defined networking at IBM, told Silverlinings that the addition of Pliant’s technology will allow it to enhance several of the company’s networking capabilities, “from infrastructure resource provisioning and management, to traffic management and configuration across both traditional network and IT infrastructures.”
How? Well, Pliant has an “extensive” library of integrations with infrastructure, networking and cloud products – including APIs from Google Cloud, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, OpenStack, Linux, Nokia, Ansible, VMware, Cisco (and Splunk), MongoDB, F5, Dynatrace and many more.
Coward said these, plus Pliant’s “ability to integrate technology even when there isn't an API” means IBM will be able to “to support and deliver closed-loop, zero-touch and multi-cloud service orchestrations across our customer’s networks regardless of the vendor or underling technology.”
That’s a big deal given “our enterprise clients and their networks exist in increasingly dynamic, complex, and disparate environments.”
IDC estimated the multi-cloud networking market will be worth around $830 million in 2024 and tipped it to grow to nearly $3.11 billion by 2027.
That forecast is supported by recent data from analyst firm Futuriom. In an October 2023 survey report sponsored by Aviatrix, Futuriom found 76% of the 125 U.S.-based IT professionals surveyed said their company plans to invest “modestly or significantly” in multi-cloud networking over the next one to five years.
IBM is squaring off in the multi-cloud networking market against a series of well-known incumbents (including Cisco, HPE, Juniper and VMware) as well as prominent startups (Alkira, Aviatrix, Arrcus, Graphiant, Itential, Prosimo and Versa Networks). Others, including F5, Cloudflare and even Verizon, are getting into the game.