In another play for business and technology in the “big data” analytics space, IBM (NYSE: IBM) is going to Ireland to make a deal.

On Tuesday, IBM (NYSE: IBM) said it had struck a deal to buy The Now Factory, a privately held company focusing on analytics. The firm works primarily with communications services providers.

“The Now Factory’s innovative solutions are all about enabling quick insights for better business results in the highly competitive telecommunications landscape,” said Tom Morrisroe, chief executive officer of The Now Factory. “As part of IBM, we can now extend our technologies to a broader range of clients to help them uncover new, untapped growth opportunities, and achieve tangible business value from big data and analytics.”

Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

In recent months, IBM has made acquisitions focused on document management, cloud data security and cybersecurity.

The Now Factory is based in Dublin. It will become part of IBM’s Software Group. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Its technology will be incorporated into IBM’s MobileFirst Analytics portfolio, which focuses on analysis of mobile device usage.

“Using The Now Factory’s software, CSPs [communications services providers] can gain real-time insights into their customers by analyzing massive quantities of network and business data,” IBM said in announcing the deal. “With this type of insight, CSPs can provide an enhanced quality of service to their customers by better managing negative experiences and network outages.”

IBM cited research from Informa Telecoms and Media that forecasts a huge increase in video, gaming and social media by mobile phone users.

The Now Factory software helps CSPs analyze how subscribers interact with services. A particular point of interest, IBM says, is identifying high-volume data users among pre-paid customers and developing strategies to covert these subscribers into other types of accounts. 

“Today’s announcement is part of IBM’s strategy to continually establish leadership in the era of big data and capitalize on the opportunity to analyze data in real time,” said Bob Picciano, the general manager for Information Management at IBM Software Group. “The Now Factory’s software enhances IBM’s Big Data and Analytics portfolio by improving the speed, development and implementation of big data solutions, and gives communications service providers the ability to better service their customers.”

IBM has forecast that its big data and analytics businesses will generate $20 billion in revenue by 2015.

IBM employs some 10,000 people across North Carolina.

[IBM ARCHIVE: Check out more than a decade of IBM stories as reported in WRALTechWire.]