IBM Sharpens Business Intelligence Focus

IBM today sought to strengthen its hand in the business intelligence arena, unveiling upgraded tools and new services. The company also outlined plans to deliver the technology, which holds the promise of better and more valuable analysis of corporate data, to small and medium-sized businesses.

The company's upgraded Intelligent Miner for Data 6.1 data mining tool will make it easier to interpret data through new visualization capabilities. In addition, the updated DB2 Intelligent Miner for Relationship Marketing version 6.1 will offer a new suite of Web-based data mining applications that focus on customer behavior. The company also unveiled a new version of its DB2 OLAP Server.

The new Fast Start program for business intelligence will provide small to medium-sized businesses with all the components needed to assemble a data mart in four to 12 weeks, including servers, Visual Warehouse data warehouse and DB2 database software, and services. The packages, to be sold by IBM resellers, will include templates for analytical applications for market analysis, customer complaints, customer-attrition analysis, and E-commerce analysis. Pricing starts at $60,000.

IBM also says it has joined forces with Hyperion Solutions, NCR, Oracle, and Unisys to create a common warehouse metadata interchange specification. The goal is to let businesses easily exchange data in a warehouse environment.