IBM To Buy DWL For Customer Data Integration Know-How

Terms of the deal, expected to close later this year, weren&'t disclosed. The move comes a day after news that Oracle is buying the assets of Context Media, a content integration technology provider, and a controlling stake in i-flex, a banking software company.

DWL, based in Atlanta and Toronto, offers Java-based middleware that helps customers get an integrated view of a customer prospect across various applications. IBM already has complementary CDI software in-house, and the DWL offerings will bolster that, an IBM spokesman said.

“The ability to cut through complexity and provide an accurate view of the customer is one of the most important aspects of information management," said Janet Perna, general manager of IBM's Information Management Group, in a statement.

Perna has spearheaded a rash of acquisitions in the past three years, including Informix, Tarian, Green Pastures, CrossAccess and Ascential. She is slated to leave IBM this month after 31 years at the Armonk, N.Y.-based company.