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Innovation

IBM buys German design firm Aperto

With Aperto under its belt, IBM has a stronger pitch to both existing and potential customers that may be looking for specialized design expertise when building mobile apps and other digital experiences.
Written by Natalie Gagliordi, Contributor
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Via IBM

IBM announced Tuesday that it has acquired the Berlin-based creative digital agency Aperto. Financial terms were of the deal were not disclosed.

Big Blue said it plans to use Aperto to build out IBM iX, the company's design division that offers enterprises a bevy of creative services ranging from strategy, analytics and systems integration for commerce, mobile and wearable platforms.

This is IBM's second acquisition of a creative agency in a matter of days, following Thursday's deal to buy U.S.-based agency Resource/Ammirati.

As for Aperto, the company has been active in the digital design space for the last 20 years, which essentially gives IBM a ready-made list of European clients including Airbus Group, Volkswagen and Siemens. IBM plans to keep all of Aperto's 300-plus employees following the close of the deal during the first quarter of 2016.

In many ways, the acquisition of Aperto shows how IBM is refining its suite of enterprise services. With Aperto under its belt, IBM has a stronger pitch to both existing and potential customers that may be looking for specialized design expertise when building mobile apps and other digital experiences.

The deal also puts IBM in a comfortable position as it continues its highly coveted partnership with Apple, where experience-based design skills are core to duo's offering of enterprise mobile apps.

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