IBM launches business analytics system
IBM has unveiled a business analytics system — a bundle of preconfigured and optimised hardware and software — that aims to help companies cut deployment time.
The system, announced on Tuesday, is designed to complement and enhance IBM's existing business analytics service. It will also have optional business intelligence and data-mining software. The IBM Business Analytics System will be available 29 September.
IBM's goal is to move analytics from reacting to events to predicting them. The bundle, dubbed IBM Smart Analytics System, includes hardware, software, storage and services. The system promises to put diverse data points into a visualisation system.
In April, IBM rolled out a services unit focused on business analytics. For the latest system, IBM counts the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Sterling Savings Bank and retail chain Dillard's as customers.
In an interview, Bernie Spang, director of product strategy and marketing information management at IBM, said the company's goal is to deliver a system designed, built and engineered to provide business analytics in days, not months.
He added that the main selling point of the system is that customers can save on the labour required to optimise a similar system. "There's a 'time to value' and cost reduction in taking advantage of a system designed for an analytics workload," said Spang. He also noted that set-up and installation services are part of the package.
Pricing will be revealed closer to the September availability date, according to Spang.