In an effort to help its customers improve software development time, IBM (News - Alert) has acquired UrbanCode Inc., a provider of application release automation (ARA) software. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company’s software automates the process of delivering applications and application updates directly from development shops to end-devices such as mobile phones and servers.

As mobile, social, big data and cloud technologies drive demand for new, faster approaches to software delivery, UrbanCode’s technology can reduce the cycle time it takes to get updates or new applications into market, from months to minutes, company officials said.

The acquisition of UrbanCode expands IBM’s DevOps strategy, which is designed to simplify and speed the entire software development and delivery process for businesses.

On the mobility front, UrbanCode will expands the IBM SmartCloud and IBM MobileFirst initiatives by making it easier and faster for clients to deliver software. For example, IBM will combine its Worklight technology with UrbanCode to allow businesses to author and deploy an application for any mobile device in hours, as opposed to several days.

IBM’s move to acquire UrbanCode is in response to customers’ needs to develop software faster. In fact, a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value uncovered that almost 70 percent of companies using software development for competitive advantage outperform their peers in profitability. In addition, more than half of surveyed companies agree effective software development is crucial to competitive advantage – however, only a quarter of companies feel they have effective methods.

As innovation in software becomes more and more critical to success, businesses need a collaborative, intuitive and continual approach to development, testing and delivery, according to Kristof Kloeckner (News - Alert), general manager, IBM Rational Software.

“Companies that master effective software development and delivery in rapidly changing environments such as cloud, mobile and social will have a significant competitive advantage,” Kloeckner said in a statement. “With the acquisition of UrbanCode, IBM is uniquely positioned to help businesses from every industry accelerate delivery of their products and services to better meet client demands.”