IBM has launched a new cloud computing service that combines its predictive analytics technology with its Watson cognitive computing technology. Called Watson Analytics, the service supports natural language queries, making it accessible for business users as well as developers and data scientists. “Watson Analytics is designed to help all business people ? from sales reps on the road to company CEOs ? see patterns, pursue ideas and improve all types of decisions,” said Bob Picciano, senior vice president of the Information and Analytics Group at IBM. “We have eliminated the barrier between the answers they seek, the analytics they want and the data in the form they need. The combination of Watson-fueled analytics to magnify human cognition, the vast potential of big data, and cloud-scale delivery to PCs, smart phones and other devices is transformational.?
The beta trial of the service will be free for 30 days, and IBM will launch a freemium version in November. In the future, the company plans to make Watson Analytics available to developers and ISVs through the Bluemix PaaS.
