IBM boosts information management middleware

IBM has announced the purchase of Toronto-based customer data integration (CDI) software maker DWL, ITWorldCanada.com reports.

The deal is intended to bolster IBM`s information management middleware portfolio, and product offerings will fall under a newly created division, dubbed Enterprise Master Data Solutions.

CDI technology acts as a core (or hub) and is "layered" on top of an organisation`s existing heterogeneous IT architecture. The middleware tools consolidate and manage customer data from a variety of enterprise sources and silos, to provide a unified customer record.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Software developer Proginet has unveiled its CyberFusion Integration (CFI) Suite, the first "single point of control" managed file transfer solution for enterprise.

Accessed via the new Command Centre module, the CFI Suite integrates all file transfer activity inside and outside the enterprise, centralising the security, control, administration and audit ability of all data transfers, from end-to-end and across all platforms.

The customer data integration (CDI) market is in a state of considerable flux, as a multitude of diverse technologies compete for large-scale, mission-critical projects, DM Review reports.

Analysing data from a 150-plus-project database containing the vital signs of Global 2000 CDI projects, the CDI Institute is able to project future trends in mind share, as well as current market share.

During 2005, the average CDI software investment was $1.2 million, with the typical large-scale CDI project requiring systems integration fees ranging four to six times the amount spent on the CDI software.

This demonstrates the increasing importance of application integration via master data management as a catalyst for realising ROI in large enterprises` multimillion-dollar customer relationship management installations. Moreover, CDI is clearly one of the few remaining growth areas for both software vendors and systems integrators.