Interesting asset management software acquisition by IBM after being careful about getting too close to application software over the last decade. Ostensibly, it is to get deeper in to IT asset management (see James Governor's view that it was accelerated by HP's recent acquisition of Mercury) but Maximo has been used for large capital asset management in a number of industries. Asset management offers a large BPO opportunity so IBM may also be looking at that angle.
Actually having a broader than IT appeal is better. A Mercury salesperson told me last year, his CIO prospects usually had a tough time getting their projects and software acquisitions funded. Lot easier when they slip it in to a LOB budget.
On the IT asset management side, if you are a big IBM hardware and software shop, I would be a little wary of letting their consultants implement the asset management functionality - shades of the Fox in the Henhouse...
