This October, IBM entered a definitive agreement to acquire The Now Factory, a Dublin, Ireland-based provider of analytics solutions for telecommunications providers. Tom Morrisroe, the software maker’s CEO, hopped into theCUBE at Information on Demand 2013 along with Big Blue’s Janine Grasso to share the insider’s perspective on the deal.

Starting with a little background, Morrisroe tells host John Furrier that The Now Factory develops software that gives carriers greater insight into their networks and subscribers. The firm was founded in 2007, when telecoms couldn’t detect if a device was working properly let alone track user activity and identify technical issues in real time. The acquisition buys IBM a stronger presence in one of the biggest markets for Big Data solutions, Grasso explains, reflecting that:

“We took at a deep look into telco to see where would it make sense to invest that would really complement what we already offer with [our] Big Data and analytics portfolio. The Now Factory came to us through a client who got exposed to their technology, and our vision was so aligned that it just made sense to take that next step and take them off the market.”

Asked about The Now Factory’s value proposition, Grasso details that its software enables customer to optimize business operations and identify new revenue opportunities. For carriers, that means understanding user needs and adding features that can improve the overall mobile experience, Morrisroe elaborates.

The company will be integrated into the IBM backoffice over the next two years, while its solutions will be “synergized” with Netezza Analytics and InfoSphere Streams, according to Grasso. As the director of Big Data Strategy, she will directly supervise the process.

Click the video below to watch the interview.