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.