IBM IOD 2011: IBM launches analytics in the Cloud, on iPad

IBM Corporation has launched a number of new software platforms in an attempt to address the multitude of issues in managing 'big data'.

At the company’s sixth annual global Information on Demand conference in Las Vegas, IBM detailed the new software, which enables businesses to use analytics in the Cloud on mobile devices, to sift through data on the back-end, and have the ability to rank data.

With new Hadoop-based analytics software, businesses can now access IBM InfoSphere BigInsights on IBM’s SmartCloud Enterprise product. Similar to the on-premise version, it enables customers to analyse unstructured data such as text, video, audio, images and social media and can be used on private, public, and hybrid Cloud models.

The software is available in Australia from the 24 October in both basic and enterprise versions, both of which can automatically set up Hadoop clusters in about 30 minutes, to which the customer can then make classifications around its functions. It also includes a “developer sandbox” which customers can develop and test business analytics applications.

IBM general manager of business analytics, Rob Ashe, said the software followed a federated approach to data with the view that customers and governments are not likely to have all their data in one place.

“They have lots of reasons to have it where they have it and even if the reasons aren’t great they’re not likely to move it around quickly,” he said.

For this reason, the software is cross-platform and supports a wealth of other vendors’ platforms such as Teradata, Oracle, Sun, HP and maps a variety of data.

The company has also expanded its Cognos Mobile software for the iPad, which IT professionals can download a free trial. The application, targeted at those in industries including finance, healthcare, government, retail and travel, has already been available on both BlackBerry and iPhone with Ashe noting plans to release an Android version down the track.

IBM has also launched new predictive analytics and reporting software, SPSS Statistics 20.0, for geographical data. The software can be used to target, plan and forecast by geographical area and comes with built in maps of countries and map templates for users to add data.

According to Ashe, the process will always need a human to guide it despite the developments in analytics.

“You can never take the human element out when it comes to analytics and so we’re spending a lot of time at the other end of the spectrum with consumability, what user interfaces look like, giving them analytics on the iPad, giving analytics on the desktop so that you’ve got the hints and the stuff the data learns from the data all the way down to humans interacting with the data in easier to consume vehicles that allow them to draw those insights and start to understand what questions they need to be asking,” he said.

Chloe Herrick travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of IBM.

Follow Chloe Herrick on Twitter: @chloe_CW

Follow CIO Australia on Twitter: @CIO_Australia

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