16 July 2003 IBM has finally taken ownership of a key component of its Lotus collaboration suite that it has been quietly selling as its own for the past two years.

The company yesterday acquired privately held Aptrix, one of its closest partners in web content management software. Since mid-2001, IBM has resold the Aptrix Content Server as the Lotus Web Content Management Solution.

The two companies have also worked together to tightly integrate the Aptrix Content Server with the Lotus Domino line of collaboration software, the DB2 database and WebSphere application platform. IBM says that Aptrix will now form the basis for Lotus Workplace Content Development.

That move will signal the end to most of the other content management relationships IBM has built up over the years, notably with Interwoven, Divine and Vignette.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia and known originally as Presence Online, Aptrix has expanded into the US and the UK in recent years, opening offices in Boston, near IBM Lotus’ HQ, and in London.

Flagship customers include British Airways, Deutsche Bank, Royal &Sun Alliance and AXA. They use the software to assemble, approve and deploy content to portals or web sites, although most have acquired the product through their Australian or Asia/Pacific subsidiaries.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.