IBM claims that AptSoft's software can analyse tens of thousands of disparate events per second on a network and spot trends. For example, it can be used by retailers to provide a real time analysis of sales trends and alert manager to situations where goods may need to be restocked etc. It also could be used by stock traders to identify sudden changes in stock market behaviour that might present really good buying or selling opportunities.
"AptSoft enables customers to capture events as they happen," said Tom Rosamilia, a general manager in IBM's software group, in a statement.
AptSoft has such customers as Georgia Pacific, the lumber giant using AptSoft's technology to manage and coordinate events across its whole supply chain. The company's other customers include motor insurers and financial services firms.
IBM's acquisitions team is off to a busy start already in 2008, in addition to AptSoft, the company since the beginning of the new year has announced buyouts of XIV Ltd., an Israeli maker of storage area networking technology, and Net Integration Technologies, a Canadian developer of small business-in-a-box software.
IBM announced nine acquisitions in 2007, including a $5 billion deal to buy out the business intelligence software vendor Cognos.
