Application data management vendors merge
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InfoWorld - Applimation is buying fellow application data management vendor Gamma Enterprise Technologies in a deal the companies claim will create the largest single vendor of its kind in the world, with more than 250 customers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Some attendees at the Storage Networking World conference say they're combining backup software and de-duplication technology with virtual systems in an effort to manage ever increasing data stores.
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Two leading midmarket CRM vendors released expansions of their platforms this week, branching further into the service side of CRM.
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(InfoWorld) - IBMÂ is looking to add real-time capabilities to its data integration software by buying Canadian firm DataMirrorÂ for about C$170 million (US$162.3 million). The two companies have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire all outstanding DataMirror common shares for C$27 per share, they announced Monday. IBM's offer represents a premium of 19.4 percent compared with the average trading price of DataMirror's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange over the last 20 days. In Monday midmorning trading, DataMirror's shares rose 4.2 percent on the news, up from Friday's close of C$22.50. Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, the deal is set to close in the third quarter of this year. DataMirror's Transformation Server software identifies and captures data that has been added, updated, or deleted, and it enables the changed information to be delivered in real time to processes, applications, and databases. IBM previously partnered with DataMirror, pointing customers to the vendor whenever they needed heterogenous real-time change data-capture software. However, recently, it became clear that IBM needed to own the technology since more and more of its users required it. "DataMirror's capabilities are very important for our Information on Demand strategy," said Michael Curry, director, product strategy and management, information platform and solutions at IBM. Having the ability to note data changes as they occur and react accordingly is vital for users of dynamic warehouses, master data management, and service-oriented architecture, he added. Information on Demand is designed to give users access to all kinds of data regardless of where it's stored in their enterprises. A key piece of that strategy isÂ Information Server, data integration software IBM released last year, based on technology it acquired through the 2005 $1.1 billion purchase of Ascential. IBM plans to continue offering DataMirror's data integration, auditing, high availability, and data replication software as stand-alone products as well as incorporating them into Information Server, Curry said. "We've already seen very strong traction for Information Server," he added. Acquiring DataMirror is testimony to the fact that the Information Server business is growing so well that IBM continues to invest in the product, Curry said. IBM expects to release a more detailed road map for DataMirror once the acquisition has closed. DataMirror will become part of IBM's Information Management Software unit, which is headed up by Ambuj Goyal. IBM was particularly attracted to DataMirror by its very broad support of different types of data, Curry said. The Canadian vendor provides data integration on Windows, Unix, IBM's System i servers and mainframes and supports databases from IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Sybase. DataMirror also has its own Java database called PointBase. There's no real overlap between DataMirror's technologies and what IBM already has, Curry said. IBM already provides some data capture capabilities but they're limited to its DB2 database. IBM intends to continue DataMirror's partnerships with other vendors, notably BEA Systems, Business Objects, Microsoft, and Oracle. Such relationships are vital to ensure that IBM can be effective in offering heterogenous data integration, Curry said. With its headquarters in Markham, Ontario, DataMirror has around 2,200 customers. IBM hopes to retain all of the firm's 220-plus staff, Curry said.
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Three new software management tools are designed to help businesses keep applications configured properly to avoid snarl-ups.
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Updated from 12:51 pm ESTWithin hours of the announcement that antivirus maker Symantec (SYMC:Nasdaq) and software storage vendor Veritas (VRTS:Nasdaq) would merge, skeptical investors shaved about a billion dollars off the value of the all-stock deal.
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The merger is another step in the consolidation of the information technology industry as it matures.
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CompaniesÂ Web services orchestration platforms share linkage through Collaxa
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These three companies have the urge to merge -- which deals will be the ones to work out?
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IBM is expanding the number of third-part companies that can tap into its ISV partner support programs. An automated application system makes it easier for application software vendors to take
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(InfoWorld) - DellÂ and MicrosoftÂ rolled out a new storage system on Wednesday for file and application data that integrates hardware and software from both vendors. The system pairs Dell's PowerVault NX1950, a serial-attached SCSI (SAS) back-end storage array that can use up to 45 drives, with Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003, a file server and package of management tools. The companies said the paired products are aimed at the midrange and include advanced management tools. Together, the products eliminate the need for separate licenses for additional features such as snapshots, replication and resource management. The system starts at $17,000 with a configuration for 4.5TB of storage at $24,000. It will work with Windows, Unix, Linux, and Macintosh systems. Dell also announced a new member to its PowerVault line, the MD3000, aimed for high-performance tasks such as serving up video or applications with high transactional performance needs, such as databases and e-mail. The company said the product is the first external RAID (redundant array of independent disks) SAS array from a Tier 1 vendor. The MD3000 is capable of 1,400MBps of throughput and approximately 90,000 input/output operations per second, Dell said. Pricing for the MD3000 starts at $6,499. Â
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Novell is consolidating operations in an effort to remove overlap between its four business units. The Waltham, Mass.-based software vendor is folding its Nterprise and SuSE Linux operations into a single
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IBM rolls out a new version of its database software aimed at users of Linux and Unix. Also: Toyota and Nissan join to standardize car electronics & hellip;. Nokia launches three new camera phones & hellip;. and more.
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InfoWorld - Microsoft has purchased a small, privately held data management company and will use the technology to enhance its SQL Server database, Office, and related business software, the company said Thursday.
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(InfoWorld) - IBMÂ hopes to bring BI to a wider audience of midmarket customers with a new software stack developed in partnership with Business Objects SA, industry sources said. The stack includes IBM's DB2 Data Warehouse Edition, Business Objects' Crystal Decisions, and a version of the Linux OS from Red Hat or Novell, the sources said. The products have been integrated and come on a single disk so they can be installed on a server at the customer's premises to get a BI system up and running quickly, the sources said. IBM has worked to simplify the installation process by automating setup and configuration tasks, reducing room for error. The result is a BI appliance that can be set up and ready to load data far more quickly than most BI systems today, according to one source. The software is expected to be announced in the coming weeks and shown at the Cebit trade show in Germany later this month. A shipping date wasn't available, and representatives from IBM and Business Objects declined to comment. The product is being tested by some customers now, a source said. It comes at an interesting time for BI software, which is used by companies to collect and analyze data and help them improve the performance of their business. On Thursday,Â Oracle announced a deal to acquire BI software company Hyperion SolutionsÂ for $3.3 billion, and analysts predict more consolidation as big vendors like IBMÂ and MicrosoftÂ add further BI capabilities to their products. The product from IBM is an attempt to make BI more appealing to midsize customers -- a market Business Objects has been targeting with its recently launched Business Objects Crystal Decisions. It may be followed by similar products from IBM aimed at bigger companies and with software from other partners. The new product is a "soft appliance," or a stack of software for a specific task delivered ready to install on a server. It differs from a true appliance server, in which the software and hardware are delivered together with the software preinstalled. Some other vendors, notably Netezza, sell data warehousing appliances with some analytics capabilities built in. IBM may be going a step further by including third-party BI tools as well -- although analysts said it's difficult to tell how innovative the product is without having seen it. Alys Woodward, an analyst with IDC, called it a new approach for IBM and one that validates the server appliance model. It could also help Business Objects to fend off a challenge in the midmarket from Microsoft, which has been adding BI capabilities to its SQL Server database, she said. Ian Charlesworth, an analyst with Ovum, said Business Objects was the right partner for IBM to pick. "Crystal Decisions is very popular. It's easy to install, and it's lightweight. If you were looking to do a one-disk install, that would probably be the best one you could choose," he said. Each server can scale up to about a terabyte of data, and an entry-level system for 100GB of data could be priced at around $25,000, including the hardware and software, a source said. Jonathan Eunice, an analyst with Illuminata, called it an attractive entry price, although the value of the system will depend on its performance capabilities and other parameters, he said.
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For the second time this week, a storage hardware vendor has acquired a storage software vendor. On Thursday, officials of Louisville, Colo.
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