IBM is buying network performance specialist Micromuse, boosting the data, voice and video management capabilities of its Tivoli infrastructure software suite.

The $865m all-cash transaction will see Micromuse turned into one of IBM's Tivoli business units under general manager Al Zollar, and its products added to the Tivoli range and sold through IBM's sales channels and business partners.

Zollar said the acquisition would help IBM's customers manage sophisticated IT environments, deploy new business service management solutions, and deliver new network-based services to customers, employees and trading partners.

Micromuse provides tools to help diagnose and solve network problems that IBM said would extend its self-managing autonomic technologies when combined with the company's security management software for identifying attempted network breaches.

Micromuse currently has more than 1,800 customers in banking, telecommunications, government and retail, including Deutsche Telecom, Fidelity Investments Services, Swisscom Mobile and Virgin Atlantic.®