IBM Gets Specific About Ascential Integration

IBM (NYSE: IBM) wasted no time announcing the first product suite to come out of its US$1.1 billion acquisition of Ascential Software, which closed Monday. Big Blue also released today technology that enables companies to manage all their electronic records even if they are housed within different document-management systems.

The company announced that it would release the Ascential integration platform that had been code-named Hawk. It will be called WebSphere Data Integration Suite and will be distributed to beta testers within six weeks.

The suite, which is expected to be released in the fall, comprises several Ascential software products.

They are ProfileStage, which analyzes data profiling and source system analysis; and QualityStage, which performs data validation, cleansing and matching; and DataStage, which integrates data.

New Features

The new version will also include an updated user interface and new metadata profiling. Connectors will enhance the link between Ascential's products and IBM WBI Message Broker.

IBM Federated Records Management technology combines products from two other IBM acquisitions -- Venetica's content federation and Tarian's electronic records management.

The products, rebranded as IBM DB2 Records Manager and IBM WebSphere Information Integrator Content Edition, are combined into the system and can manage data housed within IBM, EMC (NYSE: EMC) Documentum (Nasdaq: DCTM) , FileNet (Nasdaq: FILE) , and other vendors, the company said.

Uniting Disparate Information

"We are introducing a unique technology that ultimately will enable customers to more quickly and efficiently address their compliance needs to deploy electronic records management enterprise wide," said Janet Perna, general manager, IBM Information Management.

"Clients are seeking a formalized approach to managing enterprise risk and compliance. This integrated solution will help them finally move away from disjointed records management tools which are insufficient for today's business environments."

IBM quoted analysts figures that claim 75 percent of companies have two or more content repositories and almost 25 percent have more than 15. IBM also said it would increase research and development into information integration.

That includes expanding what were Ascential research and development centers in Westboro, Mass.; Boca Raton, Fla.; Secunderaband, India; and Middlesex, England.