IBM to buy Princeton Softech

IBM will acquire Princeton Softech and add the privately held company's software to its arsenal of tools to help enterprises manage growing amounts of data.

Princeton Softech, a 240-person company in Princeton, New Jersey, makes software for archiving, classifying, and discovering data while keeping it private. The acquisition will bring IBM customers new tools for working with non-IBM database systems, including Oracle and SQL Server, said Bernie Spang, director of data servers at IBM.

Even as enterprises gather more information, they have to get it out to users more quickly and are constrained by more regulations. Princeton's software can help them manage their data more cost effectively while complying with privacy and disclosure rules like the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.

The buyout is part of IBM's Information on Demand strategy, aimed at helping people get access to enterprise data regardless of its format, platform, or location, Spang said. One thing Princeton brings to the equation is a greater capability to work with applications in that process in addition to just databases, he said.

Another tool IBM will acquire with Princeton is test data management software, which can be used to create test databases for trying out new software and settings. In the test database, the actual information on employees, customers, or patients is masked so real data won't be leaked or corrupted during the test, Spang said.

The deal is expected to close later this year. Financial terms were not disclosed. Spang said no immediate moves or layoffs are planned for Princeton's worldwide workforce. The company's products will become part of IBM's Information Management Software division.