IMPACT, LAS VEGAS, NV. May 1, 2012 – Ixion and Timbergrove Solutions today announced the merger of the two firms, completed in March. The new enterprise, Element Blue, will collaborate with key technology partners to become a provider of IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC). Additionally, the new company will continue in the practice areas of IBM WebSphere® Portal, IBM Business Process Manager platform and IBM SmartCloud™ solutions.

Element Blue offers more than 20 years of experience and provides a unique blend of solutions and software consulting methodology that will assist clients in becoming agile businesses. The approach is scalable to fit client needs – whether they are a Fortune 100 business, a national publishing house or a local healthcare facility.

Former Ixion managing partner, Steven Gerhardt, leads the combined practice as CEO, and Timbergrove Solutions’ former principal, Ian Uriarte, serves as COO. Another key addition to the firm is Joey Bernal, a former executive IT specialist in the IBM Software Solutions Group, and chief programmer of IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center. A portal expert and author of many popular books and articles on Smarter Cities, WebSphere, WebSphere Portal, Social Networking, and Web 2.0, Bernal brings an extensive depth of knowledge to his role as chief technology officer.

“Element Blue is well positioned to support IBM’s efforts around IBM Smarter Cities®, IBM Smarter Energy and IBM Smarter Events™,” said Gerhardt. “The complementary, combined strengths of Ixion and Timbergrove, in addition to our Texas base, ideally situate us for this market both geographically and in terms of skill set.”

“Our experience in helping oil and gas businesses deploy the right instrumentation and gain insight into critical data from disparate sources is a necessity for our clients,” Uriarte said. “Element Blue is able to provide the business clarity necessary for fast and accurate decision-making.”

Prior to merging, Ixion and Timbergrove Solutions each garnered reputations for excellence as award-wining IBM Premier Business Partners, forging deep relationships within IBM to the benefit of their clients. In the coming year, Element Blue’s specific goal is to establish itself as a leading IBM Business Partner in the IOC space, while continuing to deliver the value customers require within the timeframe and cost structure they demand.

About Ixion:
Founded December, 2000 in Houston, Texas, Ixion was established as an IBM Premier Business Partner specializing in the design and implementation of web-based business solutions. In 2003, Ixion expanded the consulting services practice to extend a robust set of solutions from within the IBM WebSphere software portfolio. By 2005, many web based, award-winning packaged business solutions and template driven development services were added to the portfolio. Ixion has continued to assist businesses of all sizes to enable web and mobile applications with offerings like Portal NOW and Content NOW, reaping the benefits of the best portal technologies available today. Prior to its merger with Timbergrove Solutions, Ixion was a private, limited liability company with its majority ownership held by the CEO, Steven Gerhardt. Learn more at www.ixiononline.com.

About Timbergrove Solutions:
Timbergrove Solutions was founded in 2006 with an aim to deliver strategic portal planning, portal analysis, and solution architecture & envisioning services to ensure the success of client enterprise portal projects. An IBM Advanced Business Partner, Timbergrove Solutions has focused exclusively on enterprise portal deployment projects as well as on business process management and collaboration initiatives. As experts in the WebSphere Portal family of products & technologies including Lotus Web Content Manager & Lotus Connections, the company has led efforts in Fortune 100 businesses for more than a decade. Bringing together extensive experience from its work with large international organizations in a wide range of industries, Timbergrove Solutions’ consulting team specializes in the engineering, manufacturing, and oil & gas industries and offers experience in the healthcare, non-profit, automotive, and state government sectors.