Roundup: Enterprise software announcements

A roundup of enterprise software-related announcements released today:

• IBM unveiled new automated security software for midsize companies to help them test for Web application security vulnerabilities and find advice on how to fix their security issues. The software, called IBM Rational AppScan Express Edition, also helps smaller businesses - which often have limited IT resources to address security problems - to comply with mandatory business regulations. From IBM's news release:

For example, it is mandatory for organizations that process credit card payments to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a standard for compliance to prevent credit card fraud, hacking and various other security vulnerabilities and threats. As midsize businesses increasingly move to software as a service models, there are potential risks that their customer's information could be compromised. To avoid this issue, midsize companies are looking for ways to comply with this standard, which in turn, will ensure the protection of customer data.

• Big Blue also released IBM Cognos 8 v4, business software designed to early decipher business-critcal data such as analytics, planning initiatives, forecasts and overview dashboards. The software is meant to be user-friendly and flexible enough that information can be shared among groups of employees, partners, customers, IT staffs or others. The software also includes mobile search capabilities, which would allow users such as mobile sales teams to access information from their Blackberry, Windows Mobile or Symbian phones. From IBM's press release:

Casual business users, business managers, and executives in all sizes of organizations are grappling with information overload and the rapid pace of change in today’s globally connected economy. These types of business users represent 80% of workers in average organizations, according to Wayne Eckerson, director of TDWI Research at the Data Warehousing Institute.* They need quick access to relevant information, whether they are in the office or on the road, to make informed decisions that improve financial and operational visibility and drive overall performance.

• KANA, which focuses on products to enhance customer service experiences, announced a deal with Target stores today. The retail chain will use KANA's products in its stores, allowing Target employees to quickly access information and better respond to customer inquiries.