Major computing technology company IBM announced Wednesday that it will acquire business process management firm Lombardi in a move that could impact the company”s FileNet enterprise content management offering.

Lombardi”s BPM software and services help enterprises integrate and automate business process in order to cut costs and increase efficiencies. Because BPM allows for advanced analysis and reporting on internal business process, it is often regarded as the foundation of enterprise content management. IBM said that Lombardi”s department-level focus would match well with the company”s current emphasis on enterprise-wide process management solutions.

"Any discussion on business improvement inevitably leads to improving the processes that are at the heart of every company," said IBM application and middleware general manager Craig Hayman.

According to IBM, the purchase of Lombardi will allow the company to incorporate new functions into its WebSphere portfolio that emphasize a graphical, collaborative approach to application development.

Time will tell how and whether these new developments impact IBM”s enterprise content management offerings. IBM”s FileNet solution is currently one of the most popular ECM software suites on the market.