Event
Summary
EAI and business-to-business integration vendor webMethods, Inc.
(NASDAQ: WEBM), a provider of business-to-business integration (B2Bi)
solutions, today announced the general availability of webMethods
Packaged Integrations - pre-built software solutions that
enable Global 2000 companies to rapidly automate common cross-application
business processes. The vendor claims that compared to traditional implementations,
these highly flexible solutions make it possible to accelerate the implementation
process by up to 80 percent and reduce implementation costs by up to 70
percent, resulting in a much faster return on investment for customers.
"Integration
is both a top corporate priority and a challenge. Companies need to quickly
and easily integrate different IT systems and business processes without
lengthy custom programming," said Kimberly Trudel, Vice President for
Product Development, at webMethods, Inc. "Because webMethods Packaged
Integrations are designed for rapid implementation and are built on top
of a comprehensive integration platform, we are able to quickly provide
customers with a ready built solution. The result is better supply chain
planning, faster time-to-market and a significant return on investment."
The
first release of webMethods Packaged Integrations is for Supply Chain
Management. The vendor has pre-built solutions for order management, service
and support, and data synchronization. Currently supported applications
are SAP R/3, J.D. Edwards OneWorld, Oracle
Applications, and Clarify. Future releases will add support
for other leading ERP, CRM, and SCM vendors, as well as vertical solutions
for telecommunications, financial services, and others.
Using
webMethods' Business Integrator, graphical process modeler, and Application
Integration Methodology (AIM), companies can customize
and extend packaged integrations to meet their business requirements,
and can create their own packaged integrations.
Market
Impact
webMethods,
in the wake of acquiring Active Software (who in turn had
acquired Alier) has become one of the most recognized names in
the Enterprise Application Integration market space. With more than 500
customers worldwide such as Citibank, Fidelity Investments,
and Motorola, and a strategic partner list that includes Ariba,
Commerce One, i2 Technologies, and Siebel,
the company is quickly moving to the forefront of EAI technology.
The
company partnered with AristaSoft, a provider of integrated business
process services for the high-tech equipment industry, to supply industry-focused
domain expertise and knowledge of the applications most commonly used,
which reduced their cost of development and improved time to market. webMethods
would be wise to court the assistance of other companies with specific
domain expertise as it expands its vertical offerings.
Other
EAI vendors have built pre-packaged applications, such as SAP R/3-to-Siebel
integration, but the majority are still at the stage of developing a completely
functional horizontal EAI offering. Undoubtedly, the other EAI software
houses will be closely examining this new product and using what they
learn to try to catch up quickly. The EAI and B2B markets are moving so
quickly that the "keep up or die" syndrome has set in with a vengeance.
User
Recommendations
Taking the pre-packaged vertical application approach and the ability
to rapidly automate common cross-application business processes will have
strong appeal to many companies, especially when they can use faster return
on investment as justification for the purchase. Potential customers in
other vertical markets who need a quick solution may want to consider
whether they have sufficient domain expertise to partner with webMethods
on a solution for their industry.