IBM Acquires UrbanCode for Mobile, Cloud, Big Data, Social Expansion

It looks like IBM (NYSE: IBM) is interested in boosting its customers’ ability to deploy mobile, social, Big Data and cloud applications in a quicker and more efficient way. Big Blue just acquired Cleveland-based UrbanCode, a 12-year-old developer of tools for accelerating software deployments.

With the acquisition completed, IBM plans to continue supporting UrbanCode’s customers while also rolling out its new company’s technologies across its own solutions portfolio. IBM noted in its announcement that mobile, social, Big Data and cloud technologies are driving demand for faster and more efficient approaches to software delivery. And apparently IBM saw something it liked in UrbanCode.

UrbanCode’s technology promises the ability for organizations to reduce the cycle time of getting updates or new applications deployed from days or months to minutes, all the while keeping risks at a minimum and reducing costs. In the end, the goal is to provide end users with an overall improvement in the quality of applications and services.

Particularly in cloud, there are continuing concerns from skeptics that it takes more time and effort to deploy cloud applications. At least for IBM customers, perhaps this newly acquired technology will put some of those concerns to rest. It will be even better if IBM has plans to make this technology available to the partners helping to drive its cloud initiatives.

“Companies that master effective software development and delivery in rapidly changing environments such as cloud, mobile and social will have a significant competitive advantage,” said Kristof Kloeckner, general manager of IBM Rational Software, in a prepared statement.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value study, nearly 70 percent of companies using software development for competitive advantage outperform their competitors in profitability. More than half of those surveyed also agreed that effective software development is a crucial element to that competitive advantage, even though only a quarter of companies believe they currently have effective methods. IBM expects its customers will gain that competitive advantage with UrbanCode technology.