IBM Expands Latin American Presence Through Software Alliance
Consist, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a major solutions supplier in Latin America, developing general-purpose applications such as human resource management and project management, as well as applications for such vertical industries as financial services, health care, insurance and telecommunications.
While many of Consist's applications run on IBM mainframe computers, much of the system software running on those mainframes and server computers is a combination of custom-developed legacy systems and software from Oracle and Software AG.
Under the technology relationship, Consist will migrate its applications from those older products to IBM's DB2, WebSphere, InfoSphere data management software, Rational development tools and other products.
The alliance also includes joint software development projects. Consist said it has already built two applications on DB2: ConsistADS, a software deployment and management system, and ConsistBIS, a comprehensive business intelligence application suite.
IBM said the multi-year deal has the potential to generate more than $200 million in sales. "This is really a competitive play for us," said Rob Thomas, IBM vice president of information management, in an interview.
"Everything in the IBM software portfolio is part of this relationship. Consist is not well-known in North America, but they are key in core industries in Latin America," Thomas said.
Consist, which was started as a systems integration and IT services company, has evolved more into a software applications company, Thomas said. In addition to its Latin American business Consist has a presence in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Israel.