The investment will see a closer alignment of IBM's middleware and consulting divisions as it addresses the convergence of search, database and collaboration software – a market which is estimated to be worth $69 billion globally by 2009.
"The value of information can't be realised if it's not effectively managed and delivered to the right people, business applications and processes," said Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM software.
Businesses can currently use a wide range of point solutions to tackle data held in structured and unstructured formats, but they really need a "holistic approach" if they are to turn all corporate data into valuable information, he added.
The first phase of the project will begin with the release of IBM's WebSphere Information Server in mid-2006.
According to IBM this will ensure data quality, transformation, movement and federation, as well as metadata management.
IBM will dedicate 15,000 consultants to the information management project over the next three years.
"Tying together data across disparate business processes provides a holistic view of enterprise operations, and enables the company to innovate at a business model level," said Ginni Rometty, senior vice president of IBM Enterprise Transformation Services.
"To do this requires data integration skills, business consulting skills and mathematical and science expertise."
