IBM Boosts Information Management
IBM Boosts Information Management
October 17, 2007: IBM has rolled out a bunch of new software this week, significantly expanding its data management portfolio and speeding up deployment of business intelligence applications.
Among the releases was version 8.4 of the company’s Enterprise Content Management software, as well as its new IBM Data Studio and Master Data Management Server.
According to IBM, the latest version of Content Management sports new capabilities to help organisations better manage, access and integrate critical business information. Perhaps the most pertinent of which, is the software’s new AJAX/DOJO-based Web Interface for Content Management (WEBi) V1.02, a client that enables users to access documents from an IBM Content Manager repository via a typical Web browser.
Next to ECM 8.4, IBM is pitching its free Data Studio as the industry’s first integrated data management environment, saying it goes beyond other client-side data management solutions which “often only provide functionality for one aspect of the data lifecycle or focus exclusively on database administration.” It claims Data Studio improves development times by automating the design, development and deployment of information.
Master Data Management Server and its ability to handle integrated data is also being hailed by IBM as an industry-first, with the company claiming it enables the management of all data from a central point, no matter what database the information resides in, or what department controls it.
The company claims Master Data Management Server is the first product to give organisations the ability to manage key data concerning a customer, supplier, citizen, employee, prospect, guest or agent for example, a product, an account, or an agreement in a service oriented architecture (SOA).
“We are breaking new ground by allowing businesses to use a single platform to access customer, product, and account information in multiple views and deployment styles, based on the needs of the individual application,” said Jim Welch, vice president, Information Platform & Solutions, IBM. “Together with the IBM Information Server, this software will help clients accelerate the delivery of business value through the innovative use of master information.”
IBM says that these three additions, along with a several more potent product releases announced this week, will help solve information-related challenges such as real-time delivery of information for data warehousing, data integration, and master data management.
It also claims that the new solutions will make new services possible, such giving retailers the power to make real-time, personalised offers to customers at the point-of-sale.
“The drive to use information as a strategic business asset requires companies to move beyond simply creating an infrastructure that manages and stores their data and content,” said Ambuj Goyal, general manager, IBM Information Management Software. “IBM is applying its software, hardware and industry expertise to help customers dynamically use trusted information to optimise business processes, become more competitive and capitalise on emerging growth opportunities.”
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