Applimation

Applimation operated as a specialized provider of application data management solutions, establishing a significant market presence before its acquisition. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the firm carved out a niche in managing the data lifecycle for major enterprise applications. A notable event in its history was the 2002 merger between Ann Arbor-based Crystallize Inc., founded by Helene Abrams, and New York City-based Tickmark Solutions Inc., which together formed the new Applimation Inc. This strategic consolidation was backed by investors including Battery Ventures.

The company's core business centered on providing software that helped large organizations manage vast amounts of enterprise data. It catered to a blue-chip clientele that included prominent names like AT&T Mobility, Starbucks, and Aetna Life Insurance Company, serving industries from financial services and telecom to retail and the public sector. Applimation's business model focused on selling its proprietary software suite, enabling clients to address the challenges of data growth, thereby improving application performance, reducing storage costs, and ensuring data privacy and compliance.

Applimation's flagship offering was the Enterprise Data Management Suite, which included products like Informia. This suite provided a comprehensive platform to manage both structured and unstructured data throughout its lifecycle. Key features included tools for production database archiving, creating smaller, targeted data subsets for testing and development, and automated data privacy functions. A key selling point was its broad, out-of-the-box support for a wide array of packaged applications, including those from Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, and Siebel, which streamlined implementation for its customers. The company expanded its capabilities significantly in January 2008 by acquiring Gamma Enterprise Technologies, which solidified its leadership in the SAP application data management segment. On February 12, 2009, Informatica announced its definitive agreement to acquire Applimation for approximately $40 million, integrating Applimation's application ILM capabilities into its broader data integration platform.

Keywords: application data management, information lifecycle management, ILM, enterprise data management, data archiving, test data management, data subsetting, database software, Informatica, Oracle data management, SAP data management, PeopleSoft data management, Siebel, enterprise applications, data compliance, data privacy, data storage optimization, application retirement, Gamma Enterprise Technologies, Bob Markese, Helene Abrams, Crystallize Inc, Battery Ventures