A big deal for big data as IBM announces Aspera acquisition

IBM has revealed details of a definitive agreement to acquire Emeryville, CA-based Aspera, Inc. Aspera’s technology helps companies securely speed the movement of massive data files around the world. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Licensed to clients and partners either in the cloud or on premise, Aspera’s high-speed transfer technology is said to reduce transmission times for large files or data sets by up to 99.9 percent. Aspera’s patented fasp technology overcomes inherent bottlenecks in broadband wide area networks that slow the transfer of extremely large files, such as high-definition video or scientific research files, over distance.

John Mesberg, vice-president B2B and commerce solutions, IBM, comments: “Our experience working with thousands of clients on Big Data projects tells us that companies can better compete and win when they can quickly extract value from massive volumes of data. With this acquisition, IBM addresses a key challenge for globally integrated enterprises by allowing them to move large data files much faster to the individuals who need them, wherever in the world they may be.”

“Our team has redefined how the world’s biggest data can be moved quickly, securely and reliably around the world,” adds Michelle Munson, president and co-founder, Aspera. “By tapping into IBM’s innovative capabilities and global resources, we will solve ever expanding data movement challenges for our customers now and in the future.”

This acquisition builds on IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative by allowing businesses to accelerate their digital supply chains between partners and suppliers. The move also extends IBM’s capabilities in Managed File Transfer with a complementary set of capabilities to help enterprises further gain control and oversight of their data transfers.

The acquisition of Aspera is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the Q1 2014.