The Federated Records Management (FRM) software combines IBM DB2 Records
IBM unveiled new integration software from its purchase of
Ascential Software and a records management application to help customers
meet compliance demands.
Big Blue took the covers off its new WebSphere Data Integration Suite,
code-named Hawk, which is the result of its integration of Ascential software.
Businesses can use the software to construct enterprise data warehouses or
run business intelligence systems, as well as shrink enterprise applications
to help them fit more appropriately on a computer network. Hawk lets data
administrators interpret source data, preserve the quality of that data,
transform data and manage metadata.
Jeff Jones, director of strategy for IBM’s information management unit, said
the suite combines IBM’s Information Integrator software and Ascential’s
Hawk platform, capping off a lot of work that accelerated when IBM closed
the Ascential deal.
“We believe that having one place to go for all of your information needs as
opposed to lots and lots of databases to keep track of and figure out how
to talk to is really where we’re all going,” Jones said in an interview.
IBM will launch an open customer beta test of the WebSphere Data Integration
Suite in the second quarter. The finished product coming before the year is
through, Jones said.
To further pad its Ascential assets, IBM will add more software developers
to its former Ascential research and development centers located in
Westborough, Mass., Boca Raton, Fla., Secunderaband, India, and Middlesex,
England. The expanded centers will be used to help customers test IBM’s
information integration software, including Hawk.
Today’s news show that IBM is very serious about data integration, which
many experts acknowledge as the key to unlocking great revenues with such
technologies Web services
architectures (SOA)
IBM has many competitors on the Web services and SOA front, including BEA
Systems, Oracle and Microsoft. The ability to integrate information at a
high level should give the company some advantages.
But to this point, the biggest challenge has been digesting Ascential, which
it acquired
earlier this year to add better data-integration capabilities.
IBM Wednesday also took steps to shore up records management in the face of
pressing compliance regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA.
Manager and IBM WebSphere Information Integrator Content Edition to manage
recordkeeping policies for content, regardless of where the records are
stored.
Jones said a key value proposition in this product is FRM’s ability to
manage files from almost any application or interface, making it easier
for clients to control multiple far-flung repositories of
unstructured data more quickly.
“Rather than forcing you to centralize your records in a giant repository,
we will allow you to leave your unstructured information where it sits and
still provide records management capabilities,” Jones said.
IBM Hopes High For ‘Hawk’
