IBM Picking Up Another Automation-Technology Firm

By Micah Maidenberg

International Business Machines Corp. agreed to buy an Italian company that specializes in helping clients identify how they can use automation technology and said the firm would bolster its efforts to provide customers with such services.

IBM didn't disclose on Thursday how much it agreed to pay for myInvenio, but said the acquisition is expected to be completed in the current quarter.

Many enterprise-software companies are focusing on helping customers deploy new technologies across their operations. On Wednesday, Dell Technologies Inc. said its plan to spin off its equity stake in cloud-computing firm VMware Inc. would better focus the PC maker on assisting companies with their digital-transformation initiatives. Microsoft Corp. on Monday said it struck a deal to purchase Nuance Communications Inc., which specializes in speech recognition and artificial intelligence.

IBM said it has been investing in efforts to offer clients a "one-stop shop" for automation services powered by artificial intelligence, including through its acquisition of a Brazilian firm that focuses on what it has called robotic process automation.

MyInvenio's technology indicates inefficiencies and tasks that can benefit from automation, helping organizations to cut operating costs and boost customer service, IBM said. The Italian firm is able to analyze historical processes and "desktop behavior," showing where bots and other automation efforts could have the most effect on businesses, the company said.

"With the acquisition of myInvenio, IBM will help companies overcome the challenge of streamlining business processes that are cumbersome or create bottlenecks, slowing down innovation and increasing costs," IBM said.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 15, 2021 08:49 ET (12:49 GMT)

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