There's a compelling article at CIO magazine that anyone who uses IBM technology or who is considering deploying IBM hardware, software or services should take a few minutes to read.

The story is about IBM's Almaden Research Center and what's being developed around data analysis and storage technologies.

One is Panache, a clustered file systes that offers high-speed access for applications tapping big piles of data no matter where the application is based or where the data load is being housed. What is means is that data is available to whoever needs it whenever they need it and could greatly cut replication time virtual environments.

According to the article Panache is special due to a high level of parallelism that allows lots of nodes to read and write to local data cache even when offline.

Another technology in progress is Cobra, which stands for Corporate Brand and Reputation Analysis. It's a system that helps companies cull online forum content for company-related data and the tool will eventually become a feature of IBM's Cognos analytics portfolio.