Think Dynamics software will help IBM's strategy to allow users to respond more quickly to changing business conditions - such as peaks in demand and potential system failures - by dynamically allocating the right computing resources at the right time to the right processes.

This type of automated systems management tied to business needs is known as "orchestrated provisioning" and is a key component of IBM's e-business on-demand strategy. Orchestrated provisioning allows customers to respond quickly to business requirements and can free up a company's IT staff to focus more on its core business needs.

"Think Dynamics product family is unique in the industry in that it is based on key standards, such as Web services and Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA), which allow customers to automatically and dynamically provision resources based on the unique policies and processes of their business," said Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager e-business on demand. "By acquiring a leading provider of provisioning software, IBM will bring customers a platform-agnostic solution that further unlocks the value of an on demand infrastructure."

"With IBM's development strength and product support, we'll be able to take our product family to a new level and help customers manage their IT environments more efficiently than ever," said Duncan Hill, founder and chief strategist, Think Dynamics. "The blending of the Think Dynamics capability with IBM's presence, leadership and resources, will create a powerful combination in the provisioning space."

The acquisition closed today. Financial details were not disclosed. The Think Dynamics team will be integrated immediately into IBM Software Group under the Tivoli brand and leveraged by IBM Systems Group, TotalStorage and IBM Global Services.

"The ability to automatically and dynamically manage IT resources will help customers get more value out of their technology investments," said Robert LeBlanc, general manager, IBM Tivoli Software. "With the acquisition of Think Dynamics, a leader in IT resource provisioning, IBM is continuing to deliver technologies that support our automation strategy, and that help our customers make the transformation into on demand businesses."