Enterprise IT vendor IBM said it would acquire data transfer software firm Aspera that provides high-speed transfer technology that reduces transmission times for large files or data sets by up to 99.9 percent.
Announcing the deal on Thursday, IBM said the acquisition of Emeryville, CA-based Aspera assists IBM to address a key challenge for globally integrated enterprises by allowing them to move large data files much faster to the individuals.
Aspera’s fasp technology overcomes inherent bottlenecks in broadband wide area networks that slow the transfer of extremely large files, such as high-definition video or scientific research files, over distance.
Its patented technology reduces transmission times — cutting a 26 hour transfer of a 24 gigabyte file, sent halfway around the world, down to 30 seconds.
IBM says enterprises need to accelerate the velocity of sending and receiving data to improve competitiveness in a variety of ways – including the ability to more quickly uncover valuable business insights, bring products to market faster and improve employee productivity.
This becomes even more critical with the growing adoption of cloud computing, where companies need a more effective way to transport extremely large files to and from cloud platforms. Aspera moves Big Data to, from and within the cloud faster than traditional methods while providing security, bandwidth control and predictability.
“Our experience working with thousands of clients on Big Data projects tells us that companies can better compete and win when they can quickly extract value from massive volumes of data,” said John Mesberg, vice president, B2B and Commerce Solutions, IBM.
This acquisition builds on IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative by allowing businesses to accelerate their digital supply chains between partners and suppliers. This also extends IBM’s capabilities in Managed File Transfer with a complementary set of capabilities to help enterprises further gain control and oversight of their data transfers.
