IBM and Twitter have announced a partnership that will merge Twitter's massive flows of social media data with Big Blue's analytics software, including Watson.
The partnership will involve three major components, according to Wednesday's announcement. First, IBM will use Twitter data streams for cloud services such as Watson Analytics, Watson Developer Cloud and its Bluemix platform-as-a-service.
Twitter and IBM are also planning to collaborate on enterprise applications aimed at helping businesses make smarter decisions. The initial release will combine Twitter data with IBM's customer experience software, ExperienceOne.
Finally, IBM's consulting arm will work along with Twitter on industry-specific products for areas such as retail, banking and travel.
"Twitter provides a powerful new lens through which to look at the world -- as both a platform for hundreds of millions of consumers and business professionals, and as a synthesizer of trends," IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said in a press release.
(More to follow).
Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris' email address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com