IBM Does Product Information Management

Approximately 90 days after acquiring Trigo Technologies, IBM is introducing IBM WebSphere Product Center Version 5, middleware designed to help customers develop a central, accurate and comprehensive repository of product information that is synchronized with internal systems and shared across supply chains IBM WebSphere Product Center enables customers to manage and link comprehensive product, trading partner, location, organization, pricing and promotion information. For example, large global businesses can use IBM WebSphere Product Center to consolidate information about millions of products from multiple legacy systems. The software improves how information is handled throughout an organization, reduces errors, redundant data and manual processes and makes it easier for users, customers and trading partners to access product information. Global Data Synchronization, one of the many initiatives for which IBM WebSphere Product Center is being deployed, is a standards-based process by which manufacturers and retailers can exchange product information. In a September, 2003 AMR Research Alert, Kara Romanow identified a potential $40 billion annual savings in data synchronization. IBM WebSphere Product Center can help IBM customers tap into these potential savings by easing the implementation of robust, production-quality global data synchronization. IBM WebSphere Product Center Version 5 now includes IBM WebSphere Application Server, IBM DB2 Information Integrator to store and access product information from any repository, IBM WebSphere MQ and WebSphere Business Integration Adapter for WebSphere MQ to move information between disparate systems. This greatly reduces both complexity and total cost of ownership for customers investing in product information management. Jointly offering IBM WebSphere Product Center with WebSphere Commerce will allow IBM to deliver a single solution for enterprise commerce that spans content creation, visualization, approval, customization and delivery. IBM WebSphere Product Center V5 is available beginning today. Learn more. (not that one can actually find anything in the IBM website)