IBM Adds Middleware
Trigo, a Brisbane, Calif.-based developer of middleware that stitches together product-related information scattered among data silos, has focused on the retail, consumer products and electronics industries.
The software's ability to mesh all sorts of data,such as pricing, product descriptions and transactional information,applies to a broad range of industries, IBM executives said.
"We see an immediate extension into the aerospace, automotive, defense, pharmaceutical and petroleum industries," said Paraic Sweeney, vice president of product management solutions at IBM, a newly created position.
IBM's SOFTWARE BUYING BINGE
>> MAY 2003: IBM acquires Think Dynamics, an orchestrated provisioning software company.
>> DECEMBER 2003: IBM acquires Green Pasture, a provider of document management software.
>> MARCH 2004: IBM acquires Trigo Technologies, a maker of product information management middleware.
Sweeney declined to comment on the significance of his new position, though his title suggests a greater focus on software designed to manage widely dispersed product information. Sweeney did say Trigo's technology also could play a role in the insurance, financial services and health-care industries, where many companies are struggling to get a complete picture of their patients and customers.
"The acquisition is great, since it helps IBM, and us, really target different industries," said Srini Voruganti, vice president at Pegasus Knowledge Solutions, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based IBM solution provider. "I'd like to see them make more acquisitions like this one."
IBM will integrate Trigo's software into IBM's DB2 Content Manager and its WebSphere Portal, Business Integration and Commerce servers, Sweeney said. Because of Trigo's strength in the retail industry, where its clients include the Albertson's supermarket chain, IBM sees immediate applicability for RFID systems that combine SKU descriptions, point-of-sale transactions and inventory data, he said.
Founded 2000, Trigo has received $39 million in three rounds of venture funding. The Brisbane, Calif., company declined to reveal how many customers it has but said its largest clients include Albertson's, Unilever, Hewlett-Packard, Philips and Sony.
Neither IBM or Trigo would disclose financial terms, but Trigo CEO Tom Reilly said its investors "were extremely pleased with the deal." Reilly said the company, which became cash-flow positive the first half of last year, has 12 customers in its pipeline. The acquisition is expected to close early in the second quarter.
IBM said it doesn't expect to lay off Trigo's 150 employees. Plans call for Reilly to become IBM's vice president of product information management marketing strategy.