IBM picks up B2B specialist Viacore

IBM Wednesday announced its acquisition of Viacore for an undisclosed amount. Viacore provides software and services for linking supply chain partners that want to swap information about product capacity, inventory, delivery and forecasting.

Big Blue plans to use Viacore’s process integration technology to strengthen its business transformation outsourcing (BTO) offering, specifically in the area of supply chain optimization and management. It’s a market worth an estimated $23.5 billion, according to IBM.

Last year IBM announced its supply-chain BTO offering, which combines consulting, technology and services to help companies streamline and gain greater visibility into their supply chain processes, including procurement, logistics and planning.

In acquiring Viacore, IBM gains tools for building business-to-business partner networks. Viacore’s BusinessTone service is designed to help set up and maintain links between a company’s business integration infrastructure and the platforms used by its trading partners.

Viacore traditionally has been strong in the electronics and retail industries. Its customers include Amkor, Arrow Electronics, Cisco, The Gap and Qualcomm.