Event Summary
Close on the heels of the JavaOne event in San Francisco (see "The Application Server War Escalates"), BEA Systems (NASDAQ:BEAS) has announced their latest integration product.
BEA, a leading e-business infrastructure software company, has announced the general availability of BEA WebLogic Integration. BEA's new standards-based integration solution is described by the vendor as a key part of the BEA WebLogic e-Business Platform, a single platform that delivers application server, application integration, business process management, and B2B integration functionality.
BEA WebLogic Integration leverages BEA's WebLogic Server, the leading Java application server, and the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) Connector Architecture framework to create a solution that bridges application barriers within enterprises, allowing data and business processes to move freely among applications and systems. BEA WebLogic Integration also provides the infrastructure for business Web Services, which are multi-party, transactional, highly automated, Web-based interactions between B2B applications that make supply chains faster, more efficient and more agile.
"With BEA WebLogic Integration, customers can focus on their core business and add value to their customers, rather than spend valuable resources on continually tackling enterprise integration issues," said Ivan Koon, president of the BEA e-Commerce Integration Division. "We have simplified and standardized application development, deployment and business integration, which will help companies be more competitive, minimize the pain of enterprise integration and reduce IT costs."
Market Impact
The web application server wars have escalated indeed. Many vendors, including BEA, IBM, Oracle, and iPlanet, are vying for market position and recognition as leaders in the space. We do not feel that the market will absorb any of these major players, but smaller vendors will have to work hard to survive and compete successfully. In addition, niche players such as SAP AG are also entering the game with their own application servers tailored to their core products, which will confuse potential customers further. Vendors will now be forced to compete on features, functions, and the big picture of "gaining business value", instead of being the "only game in town".
User Recommendations
Companies wishing to acquire technology for web services and application servers can help themselves greatly by closely defining their business drivers and functional requirements before even evaluating this type of technology. There are many levels of depth to this type of product (including security, data access, and directory services, among many others), and customers might be better able to negotiate pricing by forcing the vendor to eliminate features (at least from the product cost), which they do not feel they will need in the short and the long term. No company has a crystal ball to predict the future, but a well-trained group of employees can at least make an attempt to define requirements over at least a three to five-year horizon.