IBM announced on Monday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire database-as-a-service provider Cloudant.

Cloudant, which IBM will use to expand its big data/analytics, cloud computing and mobile offerings, lets developers create next-gen mobile and web apps “easily and quickly.” It’s already in use by various companies in gaming, financial services, online learning, retail, healthcare, and mobile device manufacturing.

“IBM is leading the charge in helping its clients take advantage of big data, cloud and mobile,” said Sean Poulley, VP, Databases & Data Warehousing at IBM. “Cloudant sits squarely at the nexus of these three key transformational areas and enables clients to rapidly deliver an entirely new level of innovative, engaging and data-rich apps to the marketplace.”

Cloudant co-founder and CTO Adam Kocoloski added, “IBM has a rich history in the field of data management, and one that will truly differentiate Cloudant’s technology in the marketplace. Joining IBM allows Cloudant to innovate faster than ever before, and IBM’s track record in open source software gives us complete confidence in our ongoing collaboration with the Apache CouchDB project. Cloudant could not have found a better home than IBM.”

Cloudant is an active contributor to Apache CouchDB, and runs on IBM’s SoftLayer platform.

“Cloudant’s decision to join IBM highlights that the next wave of enterprise technology innovation has moved beyond infrastructure and is now happening at the data layer,” said Cloudant CEO Derek Schoettle. “Our relationship with IBM and SoftLayer has evolved significantly in recent years, with more connected devices generating data at an unprecedented rate. Cloudant’s NoSQL expertise, combined with IBM’s enterprise reliability and resources, adds data layer services to the IBM portfolio that others can’t match.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s expected to close in Q1, at which point Cloudant will become part of IBM’s newly formed Information and Analytics Group.

Image via Cloudant