Global IT services giant CSC has bought data analytics platform vendor Infochimps for an undisclosed amount, in a deal that will accelerate CSC’s development of its big data services offering.
Infochimps is a US-based company, founded in 2009, whose platform performs a number of big data-related functions, including data processing, batch analytics and ad hoc analytics. It is available on-premise, via a multi-tenant public cloud or on single-tenant private cloud hosting.
The platform will become part of CSC’s portfolio, as part CEO Mike Lawrie’s strategy for future growth with big data, cloud and open source.
“The Infochimps’ big data team and culture will remain intact, as CSC leverages our bold, nimble approach as a force multiplier in driving new client experiences and thought leadership,” wrote Infochimps CEO Jim Kaskade in a blog post yesterday.
“By joining forces with CSC, we together will deliver one of the most powerful analytic platforms to the enterprise in an unprecedented amount of time.”
“At Infochimps, we look forward to leveraging CSC’s enterprise client base, industrialized sales and marketing, solutions development and production resources to scale our value proposition in the marketplace.”
Infochimps started life as a data marketplace, selling access to over 10,000 data sets. In 2012, it shifted its business model to offering its own internal big data management platform as a service.
IT consultant and analyst Paul Miller told Information Age that Infochimps’ business model U-turn, and its subsequent acquisition by CSC, reflect the fact that enterprises do not yet treat data as a tradeable asset.
“A lot of organisations are struggling to work out how anyone can make long term money from the buying and selling data,” said Miller.
“I think the data marketplace idea will eventually catch on, but it will be where companies target clearly defined verticals, such as Bloomberg selling financial data or Icelandic company DataMarkets, which targets the energy sector.”
