Pfizer, IBM push mashup envelope

As IBM prepares to unveil a mashup service and the latest edition of its Mashup Center software, Pfizer is revealing more about its use of the IT-staff-relieving, business-unit empowering technology.

Big Blue's Mashup Center upgrade, due later this month, is expected to expand the types of data sources that users can tap. Microsoft SharePoint, WebSphere MQ and FileNet integration will allow businesses to generate feeds for mashing with other data sources. Collaboration features will let businesses create mashup page collections. The Cognos 8 Mashup Service, to be launched with the center upgrade, is an application programming interface (API) that exposes content from Cognos 8 Business Intelligence as an online service for use in other applications and mashups.

Separately, Pfizer has noted that successful mashup development requires a culture shift. "In an industry so rooted in scientific research, employees can get very attached to the data they generate. A cultural shift toward open data sharing had to take place," says a company research fellow in a SearchSOA article. "In the IT department, the culture shift was one of empowering the business users. But the IT department needed first to be persuaded that not all infrastructure tools are IT tools."

And as reported earlier, Pfizer uses a business intelligence mashup supporting ad-hoc query, forecasting, planning and modeling for its pharmaceutical sciences product executives making investment decisions.

- here's the IBM announcement
- see the Pfizer culture-shift story
- here's our earlier Pfizer mashup coverage

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