IBM embarked on a series of major software acquisitions recently in order to strengthen its portfolio across a wide range of sectors and industries.  Big Blue pursued the analytics angle for the most part with its previous buys, though the latest one is an exception.

Curam a company that makes social enterprise management software designed for organizations seeking a better way of delivering employee programs has been acquired today. The word “Curam” translates to “care and protection. “

Curam Software is used by health and human services, workforce services, and social security organizations around the world to deliver welfare, social insurance and both individual and employer based social programs. The Curam Software Platform allows government and providers to focus on lowering overall program costs by ensuring that the benefits and services provided address core issues and that people become more self-sufficient.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. What is disclosed however is that Curam will be integrated into IBM’s efforts around Smarter Cities, a $34 billion market according to IDC.

Among the several analytics firms IBM recently acquired, the UK-based i2 focuses on the public sector as well. Its analytics offering is meant for crime and fraud prevention in metropolitan areas. Alongside its acquisition of i2 IBM also announced an agreement to buy Algorithmics for $387 million.

The company is focusing on the public sector and retailers in particular, based on its purchase history this month.  DemandTec was integrated into the tech giant as a part of a $440 million transaction announced on December 6, and Emptoris, a maker of supply chain insight extraction solutions, was added to the list last week. Emptoris’s software is also used by other industries, such as healthcare, energy production, etc.