SOA wrap: webMethods, Jacada, Systinet make moves

In separate announcements, webMethods, Jacada and Systinet on Monday are bolstering wares for deploying service-oriented architectures, focusing on business processes, composite applications, and governance.

WebMethods is introducing version 6.5 of its webMethods Fabric product suite for business process integration and deployment of SOAs. “What it really allows you to do is integrate disparate IT systems together seamlessly,” and automate and monitor business processes, said Lance Hill, vice president of solutions marketing at webMethods.

The suite has a user interface dubbed “My webMethods,” intended to provide specific information to users. “It’s a task-based console that allows anyone in the organization with role-based access [and] with permission to view and manage the processes that are automated and understood by the overall system,” said Susan Ganeshan, webMethods vice president of product development.

Also leveraged in the package is the company’s Smart Services and Smart Processes technologies. Smart Services offers standards-based components that can be linked to form new business processes and applications, whereas Smart Processes reports business metrics to optimize business operations in real time, according to webMethods.

Web services management and brokering as well as quality-of-service monitoring are also featured.

Other highlights of version 6.5 include an analyst mode to allow business analysts to design business processes, an integrated business performance management environment and business activity monitoring. Users have drag-and-drop assembly of applications and processes.

With version 6.5, webMethods is providing a broad range of capabilities spanning from business activity monitoring and business process management to portal capabilities and Web services management, Shawn Willett, principal analyst at Current Analysis, said.

“What they’re trying to do with Fabric is they are trying to move away from just having the infrastructure for integration and trying [to provide] a stack,” Willett said.

WebMethods has made several acquisitions to bolster its strategy and is perhaps ahead of the market, Willett said. Some customers, however, simply may want to integrate a Siebel Systems application with an Oracle database and not need all the extras. “They may not want all this yet,” he said.

Shipping this summer, webMethods Fabric 6.5 carries an average price per installation of $550,000.

Jacada is announcing availability of Jacada Fusion 2.0, which the company describes as a platform for delivering process-centric composite applications. Featuring a Web services layer, SOA capabilities, and composite application development, the platform enables organizations to change business processes without having to rewrite or replace existing applications, the company said.

Jacada Fusion 2.0 saves users from having to flip back and forth between applications. The company is citing call centers as an applicable use for Fusion, said Rob Morris, vice president of product strategy at Jacada.

Jacada is promising greater flexibility and speed in delivering process-centric applications in version 2.0. System administration has been improved to feature unified installation of components. Integrated system management enables monitoring and controlling of composite applications from within a single client interface.