Bringing Transparency to Government Services

Home to 1.4 million residents, Kent County in the United Kingdom is using IBM mashup technology to bring transparency to government services and help citizens make sense of vast amounts of publicly available information and services. The first of its kind, this pilot program offers residents 570 different information feeds that can be combined and shared online, helping citizens use analytics technology to better capitalize on government information and services.

For example, a resident looking to relocate within the county could create a mashup showing average household income, school enrollment levels and the location of doctors accepting new patients to determine the ideal new neighborhood. This map could be displayed online and shared with others as a way to start conversations and elicit feedback.

KCC Cabinet Member for Corporate Support Services and Performance Management, Roger Gough, said: 'You can put all the information you want online but isn't it better when you can see the whole picture and not just snap shots? With IBM Mashup Center we are creating new ways to serve our residents, providing easy to use tools that help them make sense of the overwhelming amounts of information available. It certainly is an exciting time for us.'

Making Sense of Information Overload

For Wells Fargo and AMEC Paragon , having quick access to a consolidated view of information is key to maintaining competitive advantage.

Wells Fargo is piloting IBM mashup technology to enhance the online experience for their wealth management clients. The ability to mashup various pieces of existing information such account balances, the status of wire transfers and real time market updates helps Wells Fargo quickly deliver customized solutions for clients using existing resources.

'Virtually all the functionality and information we need to effectively service our clients is already built and deployed somewhere in the cloud. With Enterprise Mashups, we will have a way to access and make sense of all of that information without reinventing the wheel,' said Jesse Lund, Head of Technology, Wells Fargo Family Wealth.

AMEC Paragon serves as the Americas oil and gas hub for AMEC , the international project management and services company. AMEC Paragon uses IBM Mashup Center as a way to unify all key project management information and take action on items all in one place. Paragon's mashup solution includes blending structured data with Enterprise Content Management and IBM FileNet content along with information from various SaaS providers. For example, Paragon can mashup project staffing requirements with budget updates and the project timeline. Then managers can take action, making appropriate changes to the project staffing from within the mashup.

Driving Innovation with Mashups

As part of today's news, IBM is announcing a new version of its Mashup Center software and a new offering called IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service. The new IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is an application programming interface (API) that automatically and securely exposes content from IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence as a Web service for use in other operational applications, business processes and mashups. By integrating entire reports, analyses and metrics - or just the most relevant parts - into key applications such as human resources, procurement, and sales management, users can quickly and more easily make informed decisions in the context of their daily business.

For instance, a sales manager responsible for many retail outlets will be able to easily overlay critical sales reports into a GIS application in order to gain a quick, visual snapshot of store performance throughout the district, identify trouble spots, and initiate necessary sales strategies to boost underperforming locations. Similarly, sales managers accustomed to working solely in their sales force automation system will be able to mashup timely business analytics reports and metrics with client interaction history to better manage and forecast pipeline.

The New York State Department of Labor will use IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service to combine unemployment insurance appeals case management with over 100 reports made available through IBM Cognos 8 BI. The department's Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board System (ABS) handles all information aspects of hearings and appeals, from the time the Appeal Board receives notification of an upcoming hearing, to the decision rendered by an Administrative Law Judge, and any subsequent appeals. By mashing with IBM Cognos reports, department administrators and staff will be able to more efficiently manage the lifecycle of each case file, and quickly and more accurately report latest status and results up the management chain.

'Unemployment insurance appeals are very sensitive cases and demand the utmost in procedural care and management. Only through clear, up-to-date insights into caseload information can we properly abide by our departmental mission to provide all parties a full and fair opportunity to be heard, and to render decisions that are based on the record and are legally correct,' said Robert Vitello, chief information officer at New York State Department of Labor.

The latest version of IBM Mashup Center is expected to include:

- Connections with new data sources: Integration with RESTful services significantly expands the types of data sources that can be included in a Mashup. In addition, Microsoft SharePoint, WebSphere MQ and FileNet integration allows businesses to take advantage of their existing investments by generating feeds these applications that can quickly and easily be mashed up with other data sources.

- Improved security and governance: Now, businesses can filter malicious content and stop the use of un-trusted widgets to prevent information stealing. In addition, Mashup Center is now compliant with Section 208 of the US Federal Government's e-Government Policy.

- New collaboration and community tools: Now, IBM Mashup Center allows businesses to create collections of mashup pages. Without requiring IT support, people can assemble a space around a specific business need or project to enhance collaboration and productivity.

- New widget tools: A new browser-based tool lets people create simple widgets - small applications or pieces of content that can be placed on a web page - right from their mashup to solve problems faster.

Integrated Approach to Mashups

Now, with IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service and IBM Mashup Center, clients can combine information from within IBM Cognos reports with other applications and access it in an easy-to-use Web interface. For example, if a pharmaceutical sales rep was asked to predict their upside for the quarter they could quickly access an IBM Cognos report highlighting sales progress to date and mash it up with a report from their CRM system that showed projected close dates for sales and historical sales patterns for the same quarter in previous years. Then, using a widget in Mashup Center they could graphically represent this information over a given timeline to estimate anticipate upside to sales quotas all within minutes of receiving the request.

'IBM Mashups takes analytics out of the backroom and onto the desktop, putting people in control of the vast data resources their company already has in place,' said Anant Jhingran, vice president IBM Information Management. 'With new capabilities and software, we are continuing to innovate to help customers make smarter decisions.

The latest version of IBM Mashup Center software is expected to be available in November. IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is expected to be available in December.

For more information visit: IBM Mashup Center , IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service , For more information: www.ibm.com/press/informationondemand

IBM Analytics: IBM Business Analytics & Optimization Press Kit, and You Tube: ' Analytics: How it Works ' Twitter: #IOD2009

IBM and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, or other countries, or both. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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Every day, more than 15 petabytes of data are created. Mashups are critical in helping people make sense of this overwhelming amount of available data. Organizations from a variety of industries are using IBM mashup technology to empower not only business users but also decision-makers at the employee level to gain new insights from previously hard to access data found in a variety of sources, such as the Cloud, enterprise applications, and personal software and programs.

Bringing Transparency to Government Services

Home to 1.4 million residents, Kent County in the United Kingdom is using IBM mashup technology to bring transparency to government services and help citizens make sense of vast amounts of publicly available information and services. The first of its kind, this pilot program offers residents 570 different information feeds that can be combined and shared online, helping citizens use analytics technology to better capitalize on government information and services.

For example, a resident looking to relocate within the county could create a mashup showing average household income, school enrollment levels and the location of doctors accepting new patients to determine the ideal new neighborhood. This map could be displayed online and shared with others as a way to start conversations and elicit feedback.

KCC Cabinet Member for Corporate Support Services and Performance Management, Roger Gough, said: "You can put all the information you want online but isn't it better when you can see the whole picture and not just snap shots? With IBM Mashup Center we are creating new ways to serve our residents, providing easy to use tools that help them make sense of the overwhelming amounts of information available. It certainly is an exciting time for us."

Making Sense of Information Overload

For Wells Fargo and AMEC Paragon, having quick access to a consolidated view of information is key to maintaining competitive advantage.

Wells Fargo is piloting IBM mashup technology to enhance the online experience for their wealth management clients. The ability to mashup various pieces of existing information such account balances, the status of wire transfers and real time market updates helps Wells Fargo quickly deliver customized solutions for clients using existing resources.

"Virtually all the functionality and information we need to effectively service our clients is already built and deployed somewhere in the cloud. With Enterprise Mashups, we will have a way to access and make sense of all of that information without reinventing the wheel," said Jesse Lund, Head of Technology, Wells Fargo Family Wealth.

AMEC Paragon serves as the Americas oil and gas hub for AMEC, the international project management and services company. AMEC Paragon uses IBM Mashup Center as a way to unify all key project management information and take action on items all in one place. Paragon's mashup solution includes blending structured data with Enterprise Content Management and IBM FileNet content along with information from various SaaS providers. For example, Paragon can mashup project staffing requirements with budget updates and the project timeline. Then managers can take action, making appropriate changes to the project staffing from within the mashup.

Driving Innovation with Mashups

As part of today's news, IBM is announcing a new version of its Mashup Center software and a new offering called IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service. The new IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is an application programming interface (API) that automatically and securely exposes content from IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence as a Web service for use in other operational applications, business processes and mashups. By integrating entire reports, analyses and metrics - or just the most relevant parts - into key applications such as human resources, procurement, and sales management, users can quickly and more easily make informed decisions in the context of their daily business.

For instance, a sales manager responsible for many retail outlets will be able to easily overlay critical sales reports into a GIS application in order to gain a quick, visual snapshot of store performance throughout the district, identify trouble spots, and initiate necessary sales strategies to boost underperforming locations. Similarly, sales managers accustomed to working solely in their sales force automation system will be able to mashup timely business analytics reports and metrics with client interaction history to better manage and forecast pipeline.

The New York State Department of Labor will use IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service to combine unemployment insurance appeals case management with over 100 reports made available through IBM Cognos 8 BI. The department's Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board System (ABS) handles all information aspects of hearings and appeals, from the time the Appeal Board receives notification of an upcoming hearing, to the decision rendered by an Administrative Law Judge, and any subsequent appeals. By mashing with IBM Cognos reports, department administrators and staff will be able to more efficiently manage the lifecycle of each case file, and quickly and more accurately report latest status and results up the management chain.

"Unemployment insurance appeals are very sensitive cases and demand the utmost in procedural care and management. Only through clear, up-to-date insights into caseload information can we properly abide by our departmental mission to provide all parties a full and fair opportunity to be heard, and to render decisions that are based on the record and are legally correct," said Robert Vitello, chief information officer at New York State Department of Labor.

The latest version of IBM Mashup Center is expected to include:

    --  Connections with new data sources: Integration with RESTful services
        significantly expands the types of data sources that can be included in
        a Mashup. In addition, Microsoft SharePoint, WebSphere MQ and FileNet
        integration allows businesses to take advantage of their existing
        investments by generating feeds these applications that can quickly and
        easily be mashed up with other data sources.
    --  Improved security and governance: Now, businesses can filter malicious
        content and stop the use of un-trusted widgets to prevent information
        stealing.  In addition, Mashup Center is now compliant with Section 208
        of the US Federal Government's e-Government Policy.
    --  New collaboration and community tools: Now, IBM Mashup Center allows
        businesses to create collections of mashup pages. Without requiring IT
        support, people can assemble a space around a specific business need or
        project to enhance collaboration and productivity.

    --  New widget tools: A new browser-based tool lets people create simple
        widgets - small applications or pieces of content that can be placed on
        a web page - right from their mashup to solve problems faster.

Integrated Approach to Mashups

Now, with IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service and IBM Mashup Center, clients can combine information from within IBM Cognos reports with other applications and access it in an easy-to-use Web interface. For example, if a pharmaceutical sales rep was asked to predict their upside for the quarter they could quickly access an IBM Cognos report highlighting sales progress to date and mash it up with a report from their CRM system that showed projected close dates for sales and historical sales patterns for the same quarter in previous years. Then, using a widget in Mashup Center they could graphically represent this information over a given timeline to estimate anticipate upside to sales quotas all within minutes of receiving the request.

"IBM Mashups takes analytics out of the backroom and onto the desktop, putting people in control of the vast data resources their company already has in place," said Anant Jhingran, vice president IBM Information Management. "With new capabilities and software, we are continuing to innovate to help customers make smarter decisions."

The latest version of IBM Mashup Center software is expected to be available in November. IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is expected to be available in December.

For more information visit: IBM Mashup Center, IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service, For more information: www.ibm.com/press/informationondemand

IBM Analytics: IBM Business Analytics & Optimization Press Kit, and You Tube: "Analytics: How it Works" Twitter: #IOD2009

IBM and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, or other countries, or both. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

    Contact:
    David DeRosa
    IBM Software Group
    +1-613-796-2970
    David.DeRosa@ca.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM Corporation

http://www.ibm.com

"The Irus Group is excited to continue bringing business intelligence and performance management solutions to the US Navy, as we have been doing almost since our inception," said Vijay Suri, Irus Group President & CEO. "The Irus Group has had a successful history of working with Cognos clients to improve their budgeting, corporate performance management and planning processes."

Irus Group has teamed with IBM Cognos to help government users gather data from disparate sources, turn the data into information, and process the data into knowledge so that they can make better business decisions. IBM Cognos business intelligence and performance management software combined with Irus Group technology and business expertise across numerous vertical markets help companies and government agencies develop an enterprise solution that helps them make better business decisions.

About The Irus Group

The Irus Group (www.irusgroup.com), a top business intelligence and performance management solution provider, helps organizations across many vertical markets turn their data into information and their information into knowledge, which leads to better business decisions. The Irus Group is based in Sterling, VA. An IBM Certified Solutions Partner, Irus also offers and services the entire IBM Cognos business intelligence and performance management solution set.

Irus Group earlier this year entered into a merger agreement with the InferX Corporation (Pink Sheets: NFRX; www.inferx.com) in order to bring next generation business intelligence solutions and predictive data analytics technologies to market. InferX offers Patented Distributed Data Analytics software that accesses, analyzes and performs predictive analyses in real-time on multiple, distributed, disparate data sources. InferX has pioneered and commercialized a powerful, proprietary suite of advanced data analytical products to improve health care performance across the entire spectrum healthcare delivery system.

SOURCE The Irus Group

http://www.irusgroup.com

Prolifics, recognized as one of the leading authorized resellers of Cognos, is creating solutions for businesses across all industries which provide insight into their data via KPIs, dashboards and scorecards creating the ultimate business intelligence snapshot to assist in reporting, planning, and forecasting.

With Information on Demand (IOD) as a key focus area, Prolifics is also dedicated to company initiatives including information integration, data transformation, content management, data cleansing, master data management and regulatory compliance. Prolifics' dedicated IOD practice works in harmony with its award-winning SOA and portal solutions.

About Prolifics

Founded in 1978, Prolifics is the largest systems integrator specializing in IBM technologies, having garnered awards for technical excellence across IBM's entire software portfolio. A Premier Level IBM Business Partner, Prolifics provides expert services including architectural advisement, design, development, and deployment of end-to-end SOA and Portal solutions. In 2008, Prolifics joined with SemanticSpace Technologies and Arsin Corporation to form SemanticSpace Group -- expanding its global presence and offerings. Prolifics has serviced more than 3,000 customers worldwide across a broad range of industries.

Prolifics is a registered servicemark of JYACC, Inc. d/b/a Prolifics. IBM and WebSphere are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

Media Contact:
Craig Brockman
Email Contact
Phone: (646) 825-4093

SOURCE: Prolifics

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