IBM announces a new twist in its Information On Demand strategy with the introduction of a number of tools for data discovery modeling and data analytics as well as services to provide deeper insight into data. The announcement represents a maturation of IBM's Information On Demand strategy, and focuses on getting enterprises to accelerate enterprise access to data and the governance of information as a strategic business asset.After years of talking up Information On Demand, on Sept. 2 a new phrase
came out of IBM's collective lips—"Information
Agenda." But far from being a change in direction, the latest
announcement is about helping businesses better manage and gain deeper
insight into data.
The initiative shows the maturity of IBM's
Information
On Demand strategy, a course the company embarked on a few years ago. As
part of the announcement, IBM introduced a
number of software tools and industry-specific data models, blueprints and
consulting services to help enterprises draw more value from business data.
"These foundational software tools were designed to allow business and
IT to collaborate," explained Tom Inman, vice president of Information On
Demand Acceleration.
To hear IBM tell it, though most
businesses have a strategy to guide their business processes and applications,
the data that supports their processes is often not shared across the organization.
According to IBM, access to information is
often restricted due to data being tightly associated with the applications it
was created for, which in turn curtails new insights into the data to improve
business performance.
To help enterprises get around this, IBM
is pushing a number of new and better-integrated tools, including Rational Data
Architect and InfoSphere Information Analyzer. IBM
is also offering industry-specific Information Agenda guides and workshops to
help businesses create information strategies and road maps for better business
performance, as well as Information On Demand Competency Centers to help
companies build internal expertise.
The effort is focused on 18 industries, including banking, electronics, and
the aerospace and defense industries. The decision to target specific
industries recognizes the specific needs and processes each industry has to
contend with when it comes to data management.
Forrester Research analyst Mervyn Adrian said IBM
is making substantial investments in product, delivery and marketing here in an
effort to anchor its data management offerings by increasing interdependence
across its portfolio and demonstrating its value at a strategic level.
On the whole, analysts agreed that the announcement shows that IBM's
Information On Demand strategy is expanding to meet customer needs.
"It's a substantial initiative," Adrian said. "All the major software vendors are adding
'industry awareness' to their portfolios as a way to demonstrate better
business value and communication to the strategic thinkers in their customers
and prospects. IBM is communicating that the IOD (Information On Demand)
message and portfolio are maturing, and that their efforts to rationalize their
portfolio have reached a point where they can raise the bar."
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