News

posted on 15 July 2008 07:19

Microsoft has done as early reports in June suggested it might and bought Israeli data quality start-up Zoomix.

It aims to provide, via the Zoomix acquisition, a manageable and scalable enterprise-class data quality solution and 'enhance SQL Server as a complete data platform for all data management needs.'
The technology being developed by Zoomix aims to improve data quality using a self-learning approach. The software is meant to automatically correct incorrect business data such as product names, customer and supplier data, in a variety of languages. Microsoft states that it builds a knowledge of how to parse, match, classify and clean data, and applies what it has learned to every new piece of information fed into the system, even if it has not encountered similar data before

Microsoft believes that 'Zoomix is positioned to create and become the global standard for optimizing essential company data resources. Already the industry's technology leader, Zoomix uses artificial intelligence to clear redundant data from company resources and unify original and consolidated data into highly usable structures. The products require minimal user intervention and do not interrupt existing business processes.'

Moshe Lichtman, VP of Microsoft International and president of R&D in Israel, said: "Microsoft's additional investment in Israel takes our R&D center into the field of solutions for databases, a field that is growing rapidly and is very strategic for Microsoft International. Zoomix will contribute a critical layer of data improvement to Microsoft's SQL Server Data Platform. This capability will enable organizations to meet the requirements of complex information systems, and to streamline business processes, and is therefore expected to have a great impact on the organization's bottom line."

Amir Biran, Zoomix CEO, said: "The company's employees are excited about the technological and business challenges that they are anticipating upon becoming part of Microsoft."

The buy price was in the $20 million - $30 million range. Microsoft has an R&D centre in Israel and Zoomix staff will be invited to work there. Zoomix is its eighth Israeli acquisition.

^{[Paul Warren, staff writer.]}