NEW ORLEANS, LA - 17 Feb 2003: IBM today announced new WebSphere* software and initiatives that strengthen the ability of companies and partners to build, integrate and manage business applications across and outside their organizations.
By uniting the silos of information spread across disparate platforms and years of technology investments that span nearly every large enterprise, WebSphere is incorporating the industry's most advanced Web services support to allow companies to respond faster to ever-changing demands, increase efficiencies and execute new market opportunities.
IBM also announced at its PartnerWorld conference in New Orleans that it is offering new programs, resources and communities that make it easier for developers, customers and business partners to improve their Web services skills and speed up Web services adoption in the financial services, insurance and manufacturing industries.
The new members of the WebSphere Version 5 family -- IBM WebSphere Application Server Enterprise and WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition -- meet customers' demand for technology that simplifies much of the application development, integration and management that takes place across diverse enterprises, freeing their IT staffs to work on projects central to the core business of serving customers, partners and employees. Infrastructure that is open, self-managing and integrated is part of what IBM calls e-business on demand.
The software offers the industry's broadest support for J2EE and Web services, putting to use Web services standards that IBM has helped develop so customers can more easily accomplish complex integration tasks. Using Web services, developers can graphically design and control the flow of complex and diverse applications and transactions across the network. Thus, customers can orchestrate and choreograph Web services, business processes, data and all forms of information.
In IBM's view, Web services and J2EE are fundamental starting points to a better-integrated infrastructure, but businesses are also demanding secure, scalable middleware that manages multiple business processes inside and outside the corporate firewall. It's the difference between simple connection of information silos and a truly integrated on-demand operating environment.
"What sets IBM apart is that we think that Web services based on XML and J2EE are just the beginning," said Jocelyne Attal, Vice President, Marketing, for IBM's WebSphere software platform. "What we're hearing from customers is that vital needs such as integration with legacy assets, the ability to manage and integrate high volumes of transactions, and a more self-managing infrastructure certainly don't go away in the new Web services world; in fact, they become more important."
Brunswick Boat Group, a global leader in recreational boating, is using WebSphere to integrate information from multiple sources so they can interact faster and more flexibly with their dealer network. "WebSphere application server and development tools give us a way to optimize developer productivity and provide application flexibility," said Jason Becker, Manager of Client Applications for Brunswick Boat Group. "These solutions will make it possible for our organization to use Web services to solve our integration concerns so that we can easily adapt to a world of e-business on demand."
New IBM WebSphere features:
- Developers can build applications with WebSphere's new, integrated workflow engine and tools. They can easily and visually choreograph complex business processes to flexibly integrate J2EE and Web services applications and packaged applications. An automobile manufacturer, for example, can coordinate a complex manufacturing cycle -- order parts, alert the dealership and check consumer credit -- all within a workflow that spans the network. If credit approval fails, an exception can be requested from a loan officer; if denied, the workflow can automatically cancel and neatly accommodate the other steps, such as reassigning parts to another vehicle. IBM WebSphere's workflow engine is based on XML technology that IBM is now working to standardize, in advanced form, with industry partners. This includes BPEL4WS (Business Process Executive Language for Web Services), WS-TX (Web Services Transactions), WS-C (Web Services Coordination) -- all specifications that IBM is helping to develop and drive into standards bodies.
- With WebSphere, developers can build applications that quickly adapt to changing conditions. While a bank processes an online loan request, the business manager can use a simple browser interface to interject a new requirement -- such as raising the minimum deposit -- without stopping the application or waiting for developer to hard-code the change.
- System administrators can take advantage of WebSphere's new autonomic features that improve application performance and reduce downtime by isolating, reporting and analyzing problems as they occur. New self-managing, self-configuring features enable computing capacity to be expanded, or problems to be detected and fixed, while the application is running.
- Companies can track exactly who subscribes to a Web service and how often it is used. IT departments can even use the new software to track and bill for services rendered within the organization and then bill accordingly.
"Industries today face the business and IT challenge of responding quickly to increasing market demands, and they want technology that provides flexibility while building in business value for partners and customers," said Nicolas Jabbour, Chief Technology Officer of Prolifics, which provides enterprise business solutions to large companies. "WebSphere's next-generation infrastructure software supports the most productive and adaptive environment for integration, so companies are well positioned for the future of e-business on demand."
New Programs Help Partners, Developers and Customers Adopt Web Services
IBM announced an array of programs and support for business partners, developers and customers to accelerate the adoption of Web services, including:
- Speed-start Web services (available on developerWorks, IBM's resource for developers), a program that helps IT managers and WebSphere's community of two million developers adopt Web services on WebSphere at no cost. Program resources include technical support forums, online education for all developer skill levels, the Web services Software Evaluation Kit filled with IBM development tools and middleware, and a hands-on lab and lecture series. For face-to-face education, IBM will hold Web Services Developer Days in select cities worldwide over the coming months. For more information, go to http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/start.
- IBM's Web Services Industry Councils, to promote Web services adoption in the financial, banking, manufacturing and insurance sectors. The groups, to include major companies from each industry, will allow customers and solution providers to address industry-specific issues through shared technical expertise, solution roadmaps, and best practices. Councils will be established worldwide.
- Web Services Executive Connection program, including seminars, case studies, best practices and readiness assessment tools, to help senior business managers use Web services to reduce costs and speed business integration.
- Web Services Advanced Training for Business Partners, a new educational and mentoring program that provides partners with the same advanced Web services training as IBM provides to its own consultants.
- WebSphere Business Integration Accelerators for Business Partners, which provides resources and expertise to help partners build solutions that integrate with other applications through the WebSphere Business Integration platform. It enables more ISVs to take advantage of WebSphere Business Integration to use Web services protocols, reduce integration costs, and shorten development of ISV applications.
- IBM QuickStart for Tivoli* Access Manager, new rapid deployment services to help customers build secure Web services using Tivoli software. For a limited time, IBM is offering qualifying IBM PartnerWorld for Software business partners the opportunity to offer their customers an IBM QuickStart for Tivoli Access Manager Service offering at no additional charge.
- IBM's Technical Training Services provides customers with new Web services e-tutorials that consist of Web-based materials, multimedia presentations, e-labs, and interactive real-time chats with an instructor via instant messaging and e-mail feedback. For more information on e-tutorials, go to http://www-3.http://ibm.com/services/learning/us/catalog/ebusiness/all.html
Price and Availability
WebSphere Application Server Enterprise, V5 - $25,000 per processor -- available February 21; for more information go to http://www-3.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/enterprise/.
WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition, V5 - $6,000 per developer seat -- available Februrary 21; for more information go to http://www-3.ibm.com/software/ad/studiointegration/.
For more information on IBM's Web services offerings, go to ibm.com/webservices.
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* Indicates trademark or registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
Contact(s) information
Laurie Friedman
IBM Media Relations
914-766-1299
laurie1@us.ibm.com
| Topics | XML feeds |
|---|---|
| Software Information Management (DB2), Workplace, Portal & Collaboration Software (Lotus), Tivoli, Rational, WebSphere, Open standards, open source |