IBM announced Monday new integration software geared toward vertical markets. The announcement is a proof point of sorts for Big Blue, which first talked about its vertically oriented strategy in December.
The companys new middleware offerings—not completely associated with IBMs WebSphere integration software—is aimed at the financial services, banking and insurance verticals and look to provide functionality for dealing with a specific business issue or process.
IBMs Risk and Compliance module, for example, helps financial companies manage regulated processes like internal controls, data retention, financial publishing and operational risk management.
With the financial sector facing increased regulations, IBM developed five new integration offerings geared specifically toward helping companies retool business processes for compliance. In addition to Risk and Compliance, the new software offerings include Front Office Insight, Trade and Order Management, Financial Information Interchange, and Post-Execution Integration.
IBMs banking middleware, on the other hand, looks to solve customer service issues. Those modules include Wholesale Payments Processing, Branch Transformation, Core Systems Transformation, Channel Empowerment and Risk Compliance.
The insurance middleware is geared more toward helping insurance agencies improve their operating efficiencies. Those offerings include Integrated Claims Management, Integrated Underwriting, Policy Management, Channel Distribution Integration and Insurance Customer Insight.
The Channel Distribution Integration module does leverage WebSphere, culling from its Business Integration, Portal and Tivoli components.
Late last year IBM talked about its plans to accelerate software sales with an industry-specific approach that included training over half its sales force with technical and industry expertise, putting more money into its partner program to speed up application development for small and midsized companies, and offering vertically oriented software for all its brands.
