IBM acquires big data software provider

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM announced that it would acquire Vivisimo, a provider of federated discovery and navigation software for big data.

Vivisimo is a privately held company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vivisimo's software automates the discovery of structured and unstructured data and helps to navigate it with a single view.

"Navigating big data to uncover the right information is a key challenge for all industries," said Arvind Krishna, general manager, Information Management, IBM Software Group. "The winners in the era of big data will be those who unlock their information assets to drive innovation, make real-time decisions, and gain actionable insights to be more competitive."

The combination of IBM's big data analytics capabilities with Vivisimo software will automate the flow of data into business analytics applications, helping in understanding consumer behaviour, managing customer churn, network performance, detecting fraud in real-time, and performing data-intensive marketing campaigns, says the company in a release.

"Businesses need a faster and more accurate way to discover and navigate big data for analysis," said John Kealey, chief executive officer, Vivisimo. "As part of IBM, we can bring clients the quickest and most accurate access to information necessary to drive growth initiatives that increase customer satisfaction, streamline processes, and boost sales."

Vivisimo has more than 140 customers, including names such as Airbus, US Air Force, US Navy, Procter & Gamble, Bupa, and LexisNexis among others.

Upon the closing of the acquisition, approximately 120 Vivisimo employees will join IBM's Software Group. IBM will incorporate Vivisimo technology into its big data platform.