IBM recently debuted its Digital Media Factory (DMF), an open-technology framework comprised of IBM e-business infrastructure products and services designed to help companies manage digital media.

The digital media market is growing, as seen by its increasing use in many industries, including retail kiosks, video surveillance and wireless content distribution. IBM plans to use its new framework to help companies translate technology into business returns, and to help partner companies manage the complexities of digital transformations.

The DMF platform will include servers, workstations, storage, middleware, applications and services that use IBM and third-party technology to deliver a standards-based framework. As an example, IBM has paired with technology from media management and storage provider Ancept Inc., video digitization and logging provider Virage Inc. and Web publisher Divine. The IBM Electronic Media Management System, which helps companies produce, distribute and protect digital content, has been licensed to software developers Liquid Audio and ION Systems for their music and ePublishing services. Other customers include CNN, Coca-Cola and "The Wall Street Journal."