Datawatch Corporation
| Company type | Public (until acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Fate | Acquired by Altair Engineering in 2018 |
| Products | Datawatch Monarch Complete, Monarch Server, Monarch Swarm, Datawatch Designer, Datawatch Server, Monarch software |
| Parent | Altair Engineering |
Datawatch Corporation (currently integrated into Altair) was a U.S.-based software enterprise specializing in self-service data preparation technologies. Its offerings comprised Datawatch Monarch Complete, Monarch Server, and Monarch Swarm.
History
Datawatch began its journey as a business intelligence (BI) application.
1985-1991: Initially established as a private entity, Datawatch focused on designing and producing computer workstations and peripherals that adhered to the U.S. government's TEMPEST security standard. This standard ensured secure handling of classified data by preventing unauthorized access through controlling electromagnetic emissions.
1991: The company expanded by acquiring Personics Corporation, recognized for its network data access and translation software, including its flagship product Monarch, which facilitated data retrieval and reporting on networked personal computers.
1992: Datawatch transitioned to a public company through an initial public offering.
2013: Datawatch broadened its portfolio by purchasing Panopticon Software AB, a Swedish developer known for Panopticon Designer, a visual data discovery tool specialized in real-time streaming data visualization.
2016: Concentrating on its flagship Monarch software to address rising demand in the self-service data preparation sector, Datawatch introduced Monarch Data Prep Studio as part of the 13.0 release.
2018: The company acquired Angoss, a Canadian firm providing predictive analytics software and consulting services. Later that year, Datawatch itself was purchased by Altair Engineering for $176 million, at a share price of $13.10.
Technology overview
At the core of Datawatch’s technology lies in-memory OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) cubes, which are presented via visualization methods such as treemaps. Users have the ability to import datasets, choose variables and hierarchical structures, and interact with visualizations through filtering, zooming, and drilling down to identify anomalies, relationships, and trends.
Their streaming OLAP solution continuously processes data within in-memory OLAP cubes, serving industries that require live data insights like financial services, utility grid monitoring, and telecommunications network traffic analysis. This contrasts with conventional OLAP systems that periodically reconstruct cubes with new batch data.
This live streaming functionality has appealed to major financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Citadel, and BlackRock, who leverage Datawatch tools for real-time trading and risk management purposes. According to Euromoney, it assists traders in rapidly assimilating critical information.
The principal products offered by Datawatch include Datawatch Designer, Datawatch Server, and Monarch software.
Joint Ventures
Between late 2013 and mid-2014, Datawatch established multiple strategic collaborations aimed at expanding market penetration and enhancing product interoperability. Notable partnerships include:
- December 2013: Entered into an agreement with Xerox Canada to unlock data insights for retail chains and large-scale enterprises.
- February 2014: Formed a Global Strategic Alliance with MarkLogic to provide sophisticated visualization capabilities for big data ecosystems.
- February 2014: Partnered with Monarch Experts to support customers migrating to Datawatch’s Visual Data Discovery platform.
- March 2014: Appointed Carahsoft Technology as Master Government Aggregator to promote Datawatch solutions within the public sector.
- March 2014: Initiated a global partnership with OSIsoft accompanied by the launch of a real-time data connector for the PI System.
- April 2014: Integrated with Cloudant’s NoSQL Database-as-a-Service offering.
- May 2014: Established worldwide collaboration with Informatica, added support for IBM Cognos TM1, and formed a strategic alliance with Perceptive to advance analytics in content management.
- May 2014: Teamed up with MDS Tech Inc., joined the Industrial Internet Consortium, signed an OEM agreement with Kx Systems, and collaborated with NASDAQ OMX on the MiQ business intelligence solution.
- June 2014: Launched predictive analytics capabilities in partnership with Quant5; enhanced support for Cloudera Enterprise 5; developed a new solution alongside First Florida Credit Union.
These initiatives underscore Datawatch’s strategic emphasis on embedding its visual data discovery expertise across various platforms and industry verticals.