SugarCon 2016 –SAN FRANCISCO and ARMONK, NY - 14 Jun 2016: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and SugarCRM today announced that organizations can deploy the Sugar customer relationship management (CRM) platform on-premises or across IBM’s global network of Cloud Data Centers for security-rich cloud environments, data isolation and performance

By choosing IBM Cloud, Sugar can be deployed across bare metal cloud servers, dedicated off-premises clouds or private cloud environments behind the firewall. IBM Cloud is the only cloud company to offer Sugar customers the flexibility of these options. Additionally, through IBM's global network of 46 Cloud Data Centers, organizations will gain access to on-demand, scalable computing power, a global footprint and a fast, private network.

Today's news is especially significant for organizations in regulated industries, such as banking, healthcare and financial services, who must follow strict mandates and internal policies for how security, compliance and sensitive customer data is handled outside of their corporate network.

“IT strategy should not be held hostage by vendors who offer a proprietary, multi-tenant cloud configuration as the only option. Instead, choice should be the rule of the day for cloud deployments, so organizations can implement systems in a way that fits their business and IT needs,” said Clint Oram, co-founder and CTO at SugarCRM. “SugarCRM customers who are looking for greater control over their data, more deployment options and a reliable infrastructure should consider IBM Cloud as their platform of choice.”

Chicago-based SugarCRM partner, Highland Solutions is already leveraging Sugar on IBM Cloud for several major clients. For one university, it has deployed a HIPAA- enabled solution that allows the organization to manage a self-administered health care plan, giving it a 360-degree view of each participating member while combining data from multiple systems.

Organizations that deploy Sugar on IBM Cloud bare metal servers can choose their data centers down to the exact country and city—and even identify the serial number on their server—giving them granular control over their cloud deployments and data location. By using IBM Cloud’s bare metal cloud servers, Sugar customers who choose this cloud environment can also eliminate any issues with “noisy neighbors” or the performance lag of a hypervisor.

Companies also have the option to select IBM's OpenStack-powered managed private clouds, which offers a private cloud as a service on-premises or as a dedicated service running on IBM Cloud across IBM's global network of 46 Cloud Data Centers.

"The most valued type of data that organizations have in the enterprise is their customer data. Having the right deployment options that meet security concerns, regulatory requirements, and risk mitigation are top of mind for any business choosing a cloud infrastructure,” said Bill Karpovich, general manager, IBM Cloud Platform. “With IBM Cloud, SugarCRM's clients and partners will now have the ability to deploy the Sugar platform across any hybrid cloud environment, making it easier than ever to gain privacy and control over their most important asset -- customer data."

This announcement builds on IBM and SugarCRM’s long-standing, strategic relationship. Last September, the two companies announced the IBM Marketing Cloud for SugarCRM, helping break down silos between marketing, sales and service departments, and across digital and human touch points to provide an extraordinary customer experience. The joint offering was named the Outstanding Commerce Solution at the 2016 IBM Beacon Awards. Many customers, including Rodobens in Brazil, and Henry Wurst Inc., have successfully deployed the offering.