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By C. singha

Barracuda Networks
    Networks, Inc. is a privately held company providing firewall products (firewall is a device or set of devices configured to permit, deny, encrypt, or proxy all computer traffic between different security domains based upon a set of rules or other criteria) to block e-mail spam, viruses, spyware, load balancing and instant messaging software.
     Networks was established in 2002. The company's first offering and premier product is the anti-spam appliance named Spam Firewall — a dedicated firewall computer running a hardened Linux-based system. Released to the market in October 2003, it has since won several awards from trade publications. The product accepts SMTP traffic and analyzes the source and content of each inbound e-mail message, then makes a decision to allow, tag, quarantine, or block. Allowed and tagged traffic is passed on to the next SMTP system in the path, generally an organization's MTA. Several models are available to support different levels of traffic and numbers of domains. Systems can cluster to allow for increased capacity and/or fault tolerance.
    The Spam Firewall utilizes twelve defense layers to protect downstream mail servers from exposure to spam and viruses. The first five defense layers are connection management layers, including Denial-of-service attack prevention, rate control, IP reputation analysis,

The Case for Enterprise Data Services in SOA
Properly executed data services can provide the link that unifies conventional data systems with the many strengths of SOA
New Approaches to MultiEnterprise Application Integration
An ebizQGartner podcast with special guest Gartner Research Director Beniot Lheureux
Five Reasons to Use an Appliance for Integration Part II of II
Instead of custom code Cast Irons George Scott says appliances unveil significant advantages
Five Reasons to Use an Appliance for Integration Part I of II
Instead of custom code Cast Irons George Scott says appliances unveil significant advantages
XML The Speeding Bullet
How a growing industry standard can help you get things done faster
Continuous Integrated Testing
ebizQs Dave Kelly says organizations are starting to consider different approaches to integrating their development and testing processes
Application Development Challenges and Opportunities in
RFG believes will be a year of changes in enterprise applicationdevelopment
Comparing ETL and EAI
ETL and EAI serve fundamentally different purposes from an information management perspective
Moving Beyond EAI and BBi
The next generation of business interaction requires a level of organizational cooperation and information use that has heretofore not been on the radar screen
Realizing the Promise of RFID Part II of II
From EAI Technologies insights from RFID early adopters and the future potential
Realizing the Promise of RFID Part I of II
From EAI Technologies insights from RFID early adopters and a discussion of the future potential
Results of ebizQ EAI and EII Buyers Choice Awards
An indepth look at our Application Integration EAI and Enterprise Information Integration EII Buyers Choice Awards
IT Architecture Comes of Age
Interoperability is essential now more than ever
Achieving Semantic Interoperability
Chris Harding of The Open Group says that today there is no argument that interoperability is a critical element for optimizing business performance and maintaining competitive advantage
Your Pocket Guide to Semantics and Ontologies Part Two
When we last discussed ontologies we covered how they help the SOA architect prepare semantic generalizations that make the problem domain more understandable This month lets take a deeper dive into the enabling standards
Webinar Recap Critical Issues in JEE Application Management
In a recent Webinar Critical Issues in JEE Application Management Manage What Matters ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein and Robert Anderson from BMC Software discuss the wide range of sources for performance problems in Java enterprise applications and provide concrete ideas for how to combat those problems
Creating an Integration Competency Center and Keeping It Running
The increasing complexity and number of integration projects can no longer be dealth with on a projectbyproject basis IT departments need to set up specialist units to cope with the growing number and complexity of application integration projects Gartners Paolo Malinvorno shares a gradual fourstage plan for the disciplined design deployment daytoday operations of an integration competency center
The Ins and Outs of Transformation
David Linthicum says that application integration architects need to understand that the process of accounting for differences in application semantics must occur dynamically within the integration server He says that although most integration servers can map any schema to any other schema it is prudent to try to anticipate extraordinary circumstances in order to get the most seamless transformation possible
The Elastic Enterprise in Action
Michael Dortch of the Robert Frances Group explains that the value of business application profiles BAPs and related repositories of information about IT and network infrastructures and business resources can be clearly and relatively quickly demonstrated at most enterprises However paths toward effective creation and management of BAPs and similar repositories can be far less clear Fortunately he argues IT executives and their teams can aid the enterprise by identifying incumbent resources that can help with BAP creation maintenance and use and helping to bring those resources to bear on these critical challenges
Battling Balkanization With Internet Presence Management
Bringing a companys processes to the Web is an efficient way to get those processes working in concert rather than isolation suggests Red Door Interactives Kelly Abbott especially when you throw in a healthy dose of what Abbott calls The Internet Presence Management Manifesto
The Evolution of the Business Integration Architect
As enterprises shift their focus beyond mere application integration to getting processes to work and play well together they need specialists who can see the big picture to assure they get things right says IBMs Douglas W Allen What makes a good business integration architect and why are they so important Allen knows
The Growing Imperative For Business Process Monitoring and Management
Business process monitoring and management are becoming prerequisites for business competitiveness Companies who ignore this trend may be doing so at their own peril stresses ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein No wonder then that she sees them as evolving into enterprise essentials The good news is that there are a large number of solutions on the market The bad news is that the shakeout has not yet occurred and there is also a great deal of confusion All the more reason to read on
We Still Need To Focus On Connectivity
That reminder from integration guru Grand Central Communicatons CTO and ebizQ columnist David S Linthicum He points out that While the focus lately has been on how you manage information flows service invocation and processes between systems its important to keep our eye on the ball namely connectivity even though its the uglier part of app integration
Factors To Consider Before Buying A Data Integration Solution
As data integration has gone from relatively primitive to a critical need of organizations the factors influencing the success of such efforts have also evolved in number and complexity Here Sterling Commerces Terry Noreault highlights key points to ponder as you mull the solution your company needs
Testing While Aligning Business And IT
Its something that sometimes gets given short shrift amid all the talk about such alignment But ebizQ columnist David A Kelly says it shouldnt be and he notes that something called riskbased testing is perhaps the most efficient way of checking how things will an do work at the intersections of business and IT
Aligning Business And ITTheres No Other Way
The need for such alignment isnt in dispute anymore says ebizQs David A Kelly but some key facets of getting there are tougher to come by than just buying more technology For instance he points out the whole nature of the relationship between business managers and the IT organization has to change
Information Quality Your Decisions Are Only As Good As Your Information
And that applies to businesses IT and in everyday life observes The Open Groups Dr Chris Harding an ebizQ columnist He notes that high quality data is essential but first agreement is needed on exactly what constitutes it and how to measure it And Dr Harding has a notion of how to go about achieving such a meeting of the minds
Can Your Application Integration Architecture Scale
As we move to integrate more systems and as serviceoriented integration becomes more important you need to plan for scalability into the future advises integration guru and ebizQ columnist David S Linthicum who is the CTO of Grand Central Communications He says what sufficed until very recently doesnt anymore and certain wont down the road as integration needs widen
Compliance Challenges Put Integration Heat On Bank CIOs
Basel II and SarbanesOxley are just two of the stressors prompting them to seek increasingly agile and costeffective integration platforms How are they coping and how might their approaches apply to other sectors PolarLake CEO Ronan Bradley and Nigel Thomas of Lynton Research fill us in
Back To Basics Building An Application Integration Architecture
It doesnt get much more basic than that yet many companies take less than ideal approaches according to ebizQs own Beth GoldBernstein and Candle Corps Peter Rhys Jenkins in a recent ebizQ webinar highlighted here So they offer an overview and numerous suggested best practices along with a peek at ebizQs Roadmap to Integration Technology
The Role Of EII In SOA
Enterprise Information Integration is unique unto itself but helps organizations leverage other types of integration technology according to ebizQs own Beth GoldBernstein Here she explains how offering insight on EIIs history and growing role in the integration space particularly as a catalyst for companies seeking maximum agility and reuse from SOAs
Information Management For Adaptive Companies Seeking A Holistic Answer
The need for access to the right integrated information by the right people at the right time has never been more pressing among enterprises but asserts The Open Groups Dr Chris Harding current technology isnt quite able to provide it Whats the solution Dr Harding proposes one here
Coupling Versus Cohesion When to Leverage Services
Its a quandary faced by architects all the time with pluses and minuses for each method points out integration expert and ebizQ columnist David Linthicum So which is better when And why Linthicum offers up some valuable insight for you
The Beginnings of IT Insight Business Activity Monitoring
IT blindness can result in missed business opportunities on a large scale according to the terms creator David Luckham a Stanford professor IT guru and ebizQ columnist But Luckham notes that technology leading to IT Insight is starting to emerge solutions that could enable enterprises to seize those opportunities And he calls BAM the tip of the iceberg of that emergence
Avoiding Common EAI Implementation Missteps
If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure how valuable would a laundry list of potential pitfalls in EAI rollouts be to you LogicCurves Jose Herrera figures plenty and here he runs them down to give you an advance headsup
Developing An Application Integration Architecture
It shouldnt be done haphazardly cautions ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein She says the ideal approach is to plan strategically and implement tactically But even then youre going to come upon numerous forks in the integration road and in this column GoldBernstein lays out some of the basics to bear in mind at those junctures
Making NET JEE And Legacy Systems Sing The Same SOA Tune
Its not easy getting widely varying technologies to make sweet integration music but CoreTech Consultings Krishna Palaparthi told how to in a recent ebizQ webinar outlined here
The OddsOn Favorite Less Costly Integration
Containing costs of integration efforts doesnt have to be a roll of the dice noted Itemfields Joe Schwartz in a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here Schwartz told of a way to hold down the tab of what is typically the costliest aspect of integration projects data transformation
Enterprise Information Integration What Was Old Is New Again
EII is in the words of ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein fast becoming the part of the infrastructure that aggregates integrates and manages information across the enterprise In this column GoldBernstein notes that EII does what the old data integration and EAI couldnt and dont leading to EII becoming a true IT growth sector She also offers some pointed and compelling EII best practices tips and explains how EII can be immensely helpful to your company
Realizing the Business Value of EAI
Integration problems within and between enterprises can certainly hurt bottom lines The EAI Industry Consortium says a first step in solving those problems is assessing where your company stands in the grand scheme of things integration in your industry and others In turn says the EAIIC that can help you set new integration and business strategies
Leveraging Web Services And Traditional EAI
They icani go well together according to the presenters in a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here They offered perspective on how those areas coexist and more importantly how iyouri enterprise can take advantage of emerging trends in both
The Future Of BPM
Its quite rosy to hear Rod Perry of venture capital firm i tell it Perry makes the case that compliance is just the latest example of a business need pushing adoption of BPM systems He contends that BPMs place in the businessIT mix in general will stand it in good stead and says BPMs compatibility with legacy software will also help BPMs standing in the enterprise
Assimilating BPM Col Sanders Secret Recipe
Companies cant and shouldnt stir BPM into their IT stew willynilly say BPM gurus and ebizQ columnists Howard Smith and Peter Fingar Here they offer a methodical way to mix BPM into the enterprise menu and explain why it will be delicious for bottomlines
BPI Carving Niche in Insurance Industry
Proponents tout Business Process Integration as an efficient way to automate business processes especially those requiring interaction among numerous systems and organizations while leveraging legacy technology Metaserver President and CEO Richard Schultz is among those solidly in BPIs camp
Will the Real Service Oriented Integration Solution Please Stand Up
If your infrastructure makes significant use of Web services and you think that means youre engaging in service oriented integration think again says Grand Central Communications CTO and ebizQ columnist David S Linthicum Here he punches holes in many myths about SOI and notes the many benefits to be gained from using real SOI
The LegoSwiss Army Knife Approach to SOAs
Mix in some BPM Web services orchestration BAM and composite apps and you have yourself the makings of an agile responsive infrastructure according to ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein and Magic Softwares Glen Johnson in an ebizQ webinar outlined here
Choosing the Right Integration Solution
Navigating the maze of integration technologies can be challenging and confusing To help put you on course to the solution you need ebizQ has put together a Buyers Guide featuring a map to steer you to the right types of solutions and the vendors offering them Here ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein focuses her compass on the Guide and map and shows how it can keep you from making expensive mistakes
Open Source Could Come On Strong For EAI
Open source technology may soon make big inroads in the EAI space says EAI expert Ankur Laroia He points to ESBs which conform to open standards and enjoy a price advantage over traditional EAI software There are now even open source adapters which he asserts give open source another leg up
Integration Architectures Foundations For Growth
To invest or not to invest In an integration architecture that is Thats Inoti even a question assert ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein and Candles Peter Rhys Jenkins in a recent ebizQ webinar The resounding answer Yes They also offer a look at ebizQs Business Integration Roadmap
EAI Toasters
The more things change the more they seem to stay the same especially in the IT realm So says David Linthicum Grand Central Communications CTO and ebizQ columnist Take for instance the latest incarnation of IT appliance the socalled integration appliance Might it be right for your company
StandardsBased Adapters A Leg Up for the Integration Industry
And thats not all BEAs Andrea Eubanks and Dominic Sartorio offer an overview of how the role of adapters in the larger integration picture has been changing and how adapters are about to color that picture even more to the ultimate ROI benefit of buyers of integration solutions
Producing SOAReady Systems From The JEE Development Phase
Contrary to what may be popular belief Web services in and of themselves IdontI provide enterprises with the path to true SOAs now or down the road What does Wakesofts Kamal Shah tell us here
Wisest Approaches To Integration Projects
Being realistic pragmatic and cautious is the most valuable way to approach your companys highimpact integration projects says Peter RhysJenkins
Avoiding EAI Pitfalls
In a recent edition of its WebSphere Insider Candle Corp turned to the European Chair of the EAI Industry Consortium Steve Craggs for tips on how companies can keep from falling into the most common bear traps associated with integration projects
Best Practices for Developing EAI Strategies
Companies with overall integration strategies and integration projects guided by best practices are more likely to succeed at integration than companies without them So a recent edition of Candle Corps WebSphere Insider took an indepth look at the best ways to come up with such strategies brbrYou can also download this complete version of Candle Corps WebSphere Insider It contains this article plus much more bra hrefhttpwwwebizqnetfilelibhtml targetblank bDownload complete version of Candles WebSphere Insiderba
The SOABPMS Bridge To Agility
Making companies faster on their feet and more responsive to market conditions is more easily said than done But it IcanI be done by creating a businessdriven IT infrastructure via a strategically crafted combo of an SOA with a BPMS says Cognizant Technologys Pravin Gokhe
Sonic Software Tooled Up For ESB Battle
Many observers feel the market for enterprise service buses will grow strongly this year and Sonic Software says its uniquely positioned to take advantage In this analysis the examines the technology the demand for it and the claims of Sonic and competitors real and potential in the space
Making JEE and NET Work And Play Well Together In SOAs
Like it or not its almost inevitable that youre going to have to at some point according to ebizQ columnist Andre Yee He sets out here to explore the three most common methods to get the job done including their pros and cons
Is All BPM Alike
In a word no contends Pegasystems founder CEO and Chairman Alan Trefler Here he tells what distinguishes BPM systems from one another and what sets them apart from previous aspirants to the title of productivityraisercostcutter for enterprises
The Path to SOA
Calling SOA a near ideal technology to use in an IT environment where software and hardware from multiple vendors are deployed and one that enables business tasks to be accomplished by executing a series of services IBMs Bob Sutor here spells out the way to head for an SOA world
Riding The Open Standards Wave To Lower Costs
In the ongoing tug of war between Windows and Linux count Donald Doane of performance optimization solutions provider OpenDemand Systems squarely in Linuxs corner Doane doesnt mince words about how he sees the open standards movement helping companies bottom lines
Love Affair With Web Services Waning
Hardly But ebizQ columnists and BPM experts Howard Smith and Peter Fingar suggest here that all the hubbub surrounding Web services is doing iBPMi a idisiservice A ihugei disservice And one stemming in large part from semantics
SOA And Web Services Bridging Barriers To Agile Integration
Perceptions and immature standards stand in the way of enterprises leveraging Web services and SOAs to their full potential according to ZapThinks Ronald Schmelzer and IONAs Steve Vinoski in a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here And both offer insight on overcoming those obstacles
Web Services Standards and PlugandPlay Integration A Report Card
Integration guru and SeeBeyond CTO Ross Altman says its time to step back from the Web services buzz for a snapshot of how close we really are to what he dubs integration nirvana plugandplay integration Altman cautions that a key requirement mature standardsis hardly in place yet
Suites or BestofBreed Still A Tough Choice
As much as things change in IT a constant has been the difficulty of selecting among integrated suites bestofbreed wares and industryspecific apps And AlignIT Group research shows that the amount of integration involved in implementation is often a key factor driving those decisions
ServiceOriented Application Integration The Big Push in
Though SOAI is far from riskfree were likely to see many enterprises heading that way in the coming year because its potential benefits are so pronounced predicts integration guru David S Linthicum Is it right for your company Linthicum offers insight that could help you decide
Dancing Around EAI Bear Traps
Odds of your being able to will be much better after you look at this summary of a recent ebizQ webinar in which the EAI Industry Consortiums Steve Craggs and Candles Peter Rhys Jenkins served up numerous pointers all based on pitfalls that have hampered companies engaged in EAI projects
Leaving Silos Behind
The silo mentality still plagues many companies whose business units function as islands unto themselves when it comes to technology But Bank Ones Manish Bhatia says they have to shed that way of operating and outlines ways to go about it from the basic to the more recent
Peek and Tweak Optimizing JEE Internet Transactions
Quick online response time is a key to keeping your business competitive And in a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here BMCs Ross Cochran outlined numerous potential response time inhibitors and how to deal with them
Managing A Successful Integration Project
Candle kicked off its new ebizQ webinar series on infrastructure management by going back to basics calling on Gartners Jess Thompson to discuss best practices for managing integration projects In his presentation summarized here Thompson offered some sage advice
Giving Legacy Systems New Leases On Life
Legacy frequently has a negative connotation in the IT realm But Gartners Dale Vecchio stresses the upside Legacy systems are here and they work and theyve worked for quite some time In a recent WRQsponsored ebizQ webinar outlined here Vecchio offered insight on keeping such systems valuable
Turning WebSphere Complexity To Capability
Ensuring WebSphere component availability is essential to the many companies that build their most businesscritical systems on the WebSphere foundation said BMCs Jim Byrd during a recent ebizQ webinar described here And he showed how to use Business Service Management and more to do just that
Jumping On The Enterprise Service Bus Where Web Services Meet EAI
The Enterprise Service Bus is emerging as a viable alternative to the usual integration approaches and is likely to keep gaining ground in the marketplace according to PolarLake CEO Ronan Bradley Here he outlines the advantages of ESBs and cautions that they carry a significant drawback
Crossing The BusinessIT Chasm With Composite Applications
Composite apps can go where pure EAI cant to help keep business users happy according to Commerce Ones Bashyam Anant In making the case for composite apps he also notes that they make sense from an ROI standpoint
The High Cost of Postponing Integration Deployments
Better late than never decidedly doesnt apply to integration projects as Leo Sayavedra and Michael Kuhbock of the EAI Industry Consortium explain here They also throw in some integration project best practices for good measure
Web Services What Curious Minds Want To Know
The recent expoQ webinar Whats the True Value of Web Services was such a hot ticket presenters Ross Altman of EDS and Whit Andrews of Gartner got so many questions they couldnt get to many of them But get to them they do right here
What Makes Integration Testing Different
Its smart to do testing all along the way during the course of integration projects says ebizQs David A Kelly but not so smart to assume that kind of testing is the same as you do for app development In fact theyre very different
Patching Revenue Holes
Is your revenue pipeline springing leaks If so your bottom line could be taking needless hits In this column ebizQ analyst David A Kelly explores the ways holes pop up in such pipelines and ways to plug them up and assure a smooth flow of profits to company coffers
Performance Management This Joint Is Jumping
As companies try to connect business services across functional silos they have to overcome bottomup systems and network management frameworks according to analyst firm the And in this Spotlight report the says the need to get there from here is making Performance Management one of the hottest sectors in enterprise software
Some Characteristics of HighROI BPM Projects
Some BPM projects produce better ROI than others The trick is being able to know which is which And in this column ebizQ analyst David A Kelly helps you sort them out
Integration IDEs Coming of Age
Integration platforms have become as complex as the problems theyre designed to solve So says ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein the time is ripe for Integrated Development Environments with integation capabilities and some big vendors are already seizing the opportunity
Repositories Underutilized Integration Helpers
Repositories have long played a role in integration but says renowned integration expert David S Linthicum few organizations realize what powerful integration tools they really are And observes Linthicum thats sure to change
Maximizing The Biz Benefits Of Web Services
Web services may be all the rage in integration circles and with good reason Their potential for smoothing integration paths is well known But the EAI Industry Consortium reminds you that the approach your company takes to them could make a big difference in how helpful they wind up being
Some More Characteristics of High ROI BPM Projects
Earlier this month ebizQ analyst David A Kelly offered advice on how to tell which BPM projects are likely to result in significant returns on investments for companies and which werent Here he has some more insight
CRM An EnterpriseWide Endeavor
Separating sales marketing and service into their own distinct categories of CRM apart from the rest of an organizations information creates illogical boundaries that shift the focus from enterprisewide processes to functional silos And in this AMR Research Alert Research Director Laura Preslan suggests a much more integrated approach to related business processes and applications
Upping The Ante On Compliance And Improving Your Business Performance
Complying with the evergrowing mountain of new laws and regulations is a daunting task for businesses but IBM executive Brett MacIntyre says compliance and the technology meant to assure it can have positive side effects such as betterrun businesses
NarrowlyMixed June For BizEnabling Software Makers
Despite the strong performance by the stock market as a whole last month shares of businessenabling software providers were fairly flat according to investment banking firm TripleTree The biggest movers in terms of enterprise valuetorevenue multiples saw them fall content management companies by fourtenthsofapoint and large platform vendors by threetenths Every other sector stayed the same or moved up or down by a tenthofapoint
Opportunistic Development and Application Integration
There are two ways to go when you head down the EAI development path the quick relatively easy way or the right way according to renowned integration expert Ross Altman He explains that the road you may be reluctant to travel could well wind up being the most efficient and productive one in the longrun
Clearing Up Confusion Over What BPM Really Is
Even as Business Process Management picks up steam its waters are being somewhat muddied by the proliferation of vendors claiming to offer BPM wares Trouble is each defines BPM in its own way So BPM experts Howard Smith and Peter Fingar set out here to set the record straight over BPM and the advantages that true BPM capabilities offer
Integration Technologies Converging On Best Of All Worlds
Application construction data integration application integration process management and workflow used to be seen as separate problems demanding separate solutions says analyst Rob Hailstone in this IDC Opinion But now he notes formerly divergent technologies are beginning to come together in part because Web services are making it possible as business demand increases for endtoend IT coverage of all activities And this Hailstone asserts may make plausible the best of all worlds of endtoend adaptability seamless integration and performance This study also describes how a serviceoriented architecture SOA fits in the mix of the allinclusive view of business functionality
Finding Gold In Them Thar BPM Projects
Its not whether you win or lose but how you play the game right By the same token ebizQ analyst David A Kelly explains here its not as much the BPM solution you pick that matters as much as the nature of the game youre playing He says what youre automating could determine whether your company is a longterm winner in the BPM game
The Right Approach To ROI
ROI can be as tough to define for specific projects and purchases as it is to achieve But the AlignIT Group says there are right and wrong ways to go about projecting ROI then analyzing results to determine how worthwhile an undertaking was
Ten Critical Success Factors For The RealTime Enterprise
The realtime enterprise is not a trend that companies can afford to wait out As the competition speeds up companies will need to keep up or perish So says ebizQs Vice President for Strategic Services Beth GoldBernstein With that in mind she points to ten areas companies must carefully cultivate in order to flower into a realtime enterprise
BPM Is A Team Sport Play It To Win
Veteran BPM practitioner Andrew Spanyi says the time has come for a renaissance in business process thinking and the IT systems needed to transform thinking into doing In easytoread language and a workshop vignette that all readers will be able to relate to Spanyis justreleased book Business Process Management Is A Team Sport Play It To Win presents the fundamental principles of business process management and responds to the most common challenges to its desirability viability and practicality Lets now sit in quietly on the books central character and business process pioneer Peter Whites initial interactions with the workshops participants Well learn about their common questions and concerns as White outlines the critical variables for strategic business advantage for the decade ahead To date BPM has been in a supplypush mode from BPM insiders and technology vendors Spanyis book will likely reverse that state to demandpull from business leaders who read this entertaining book and its powerful message
Eight Warning Signs Of Poor Business Integration
What are the uhohs that can tip you off that your company is suffering from poor integration and the inefficiencies and poorer bottom lines that go with it The EAI Industry Consortium spells them out for you here along with tips on what to do about them
Business Services Orchestration The HyperTier of IT
Recognizing that business processes are the engines of competitive advantage in any company Fuego cofounder Felix Racca and EDS Enterprise Consultant Waqar Sadiq champion the importance of Business Process Management technology in their new book Business Services Orchestration The HyperTier of IT Readers gain a firm understanding of how a companys bottom line can be managed through an added layer of software that focuses directly on the execution of business process independent of the people or underlying systems used to implement it In this excerpt from the book Business Services Orchestration is defined and readers learn how it closes the gap between business strategy and execution to boost earnings The chapter also provides general information about business processes and how to improve the operations of any company through smart process management
Merry Merry May For BizEnabling Software Makers
Indeed it was Every businessenabling software sector tracked by investment banking firm TripleTree saw its enterprise valuetorevenue multiple rise Standouts included supply chain management security wireless enterprise content management and financial services apps vendors TripleTree says it appears that many of the leading companies have successfully realigned their business models to account for the current pace of IT spending
Using Composite Applications to Lower Integration Costs
Composite apps could be just what the doctor ordered for business managers and IT professionals alike says Aberdeen Group Vice President Thomas Dwyer in terms of making integration less costly complex and timeconsuming Companies can now rapidly build composite applications that traverse application and information silos to deliver lineofsight customer views into critical information and events Dwyer says in this Aberdeen Executive White Paper And in it he describes the current state of app integration defines composite apps and explains their benefits
Will BMCs BSM Focus Fly
BMC believes it has a clear strategic focus for the first time in ten years So says William Fellows Principal Analyst At Large of the Group The idea says Fellows is that BSM will manage from the business process first and the technology second But does Fellows think that notion will measure up
BPMs Underpinning The Pi Paradigm
BPM is rapidly proving popular since it gives businesspeople control over the processes that make their companies tick And it doesnt hurt a bit that BPM is a winner in the ROI arena according to BPM experts and champions Howard Smith and Peter Fingar At the very heart of BPM is an obscure mathematical theory called Pi Calculus literally an awardwinner Here Smith and Fingar explain what Pi Calculus is and how it forms the foundation for the hot phenomenon known as BPM
How Much Process Improvement Is Enough
Automating a process once can save organizations lots of money Selecting a BPM solution that can enable continuous process improvement when needed can save or perhaps generate even more In this column ebizQ analyst David A Kelly tells you how to determine the extent of business process change your company needs and if its significant how to be sure the solution you turn to can fit the bill
Autonomous Computing No Silver Bullet But Helpful
Integration of different systems within and between companies and enterprise agility are issues tackled every day by organizations large and small alike And analyst firm TechMetrix says one answer may lie in Autonomous Computing Here TechMetrix CEO JeanChristophe Cimetiere explains what Autonomous Computing is how it might help and where Web services fit in the mix
Integration Routes To Travel And Avoid
The road to successful integrations is paved with serviceoriented and eventdriven architectures according to ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein Her recent webinar summarized here offers an atlas of best practices for integration technology and processes to steer you in the right direction
Whats EII And How Might It Help Integration
Simply put EII Enterprise Information Integration is dressedup database creation in the middleware layer according to renowned integration expert David S Linthicum And while EII is being ballyhooed by numerous vendors and indeed offers some advantages Linthicum says its only useful as an integration tool under fairly limited circumstances
Integration A Key Insurance Customer Retention Vehicle
Integration has become crucial for managing relationships between insurers and their policyholders In a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here Software AG Senior VP Bill Ruh and Financial Services Practice Director John Stone show how its helping insurers to keep customers and boost revenues
Plain Talk To Get Execs To Walk The Integration Walk
Getting senior execs to buy into integration projects can be tough Sterling Commerces Director of Industry Development John Stelzer shares some strategies that give IT staffers a better chance for success in a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here
What Showers April Sun For BizEnabling Software Makers
It was an up April for shares of businessenabling software vendors according to investment banking firm TripleTree All but the healthcare sector saw their enterprise valuetorevenue multiples rise The supply chain management and telecomm sectors were standouts and other strong gainers included customer relationship management business intelligence content management and financial services
Integration Vendors Begin To See The Light
The slow economy isnt the only reason some integration vendors are having a rough go of it EAI Industry Consortium head Michael Kuhbock says their traditional treatment of customers plays a large role as well And in this piece Kuhbock says many are starting to realize that they have to change their ways
A Hectic Time For Content Management Vendors
The sector continues to experience some earnings troubles and even some turmoil with two prominent CEOs recently losing their jobs Yet according to analyst firm the content management usually ranks high on CIO priority lists So wheres the disconnect The takes a close look at the space in this special Spotlight report
The NonVendor Source Of EAI Apps
Open Source software and Free Software provide an alternative to the usual vendor route for getting EAI software And while cautioning that OSSFS EAI wares arent for everyone ebizQ analyst David A Kelly applauds their growing availability
Web Services And Enterprise Integration Friends Not Foes
Web services dont represent the beginning of the end of EAI Quite the contrary say David Plesko and J Michael Lee of Accenture they go handinhand and one is a logical outgrowth of the other In any event they say EAI wont be phased out anytime soon and companies should have both in their IT buying patterns
The Other Side Of Integration
Theres more to integration than data exchange As ebizQ analyst David A Kelly explains in this column integration can also play a pivotal role in managing content to get disparate information to end users in your company whenever they need it Web services and XML come into play here as well
And The Winner IS Integration
Integration emerges over and over as THE main IT concern that businesses have And its happened again in a recent major survey by analyst firm The AlignIT Group which says the theme that emerges is a clear focus on integration of existing enterprise applications to make them work better faster and more seamlessly New application development ecommerce capabilities increased customization and bestoflass applications are all taking a back seat to the integration improved enterprise application mantra In this report AlignIT offers perspective companies can keep in mind about iotheri companies thinking as IT purchasing decisions are made
Whats So Standard About Those EAI Standards
Renowned integration expert Ross Altman says JMS XSLT and EXSLT are hardly panaceas He says theyre useful in some regards However like most standards their ability to deliver meaningful portability is suspect
Keep Your Eye On Utility Services Management
As IT departments look to servicecentric architectures to help make their companies more malleable and responsive to business conditions analyst firm the Robert Frances Group sees enterprise IT morphing into sets of utilitylike services And in this report RFG analyst Michael Dortch says managing those services is bound to become increasingly important
Moving From Processes to Business Processes
As the lines between integration workflow processes and business processes become more and more blurred its becoming harder and harder for companies to be sure theyre buying the right class of software But ebizQ analyst Dave Kelly has examined the landscape and come up with some pointers to help guide you in your purchasing decisions
Making Integration CustomerFriendly
Packaged solutions are typically designed from the insideout focusing on internal process improvement Only problem is that pretty much leaves customerfacing software out in the cold notes AMR Research And in this Outlook report AMR offers insight on how that dilemma can be addressed
Mostly Cool March For BusinessEnabling Software Vendors
March was much the same as February for businessenabling software makers according to investment banking firm TripleTree Most saw their enterprise valuetorevenue multiples dip eversoslightly or stay the same Only security and wireless wares makers bucked the trend with their ratios rising a touch All in all says TripleTree Iraq took center stage and IT was on the backburner for stock marketeers
IBM And Microsoft Messing With BPM Standards Development
For any technology to succeed across the wide swath that is IT there must be wide acceptance of common standards Only when HTML was embraced for example did the Internet become what it is today But ebizQ columnists Howard Smith and Peter Fingar say a recent move by two technology giants could gum up the works as backers of business process management BPM push standards those proponents say would help BPM fulfill its vast potential in the world of business computing
CPM Corporate Agility Strikes Back
Corporate Performance Management CPM can be an unsung hero riding to the rescue of traditional vertically oriented enterprises as they battle an entirely new form of foe one lurking and seeking to take advantage of weak links in supply chains and other corporate soft spots In this InSight report analyst firm Aberdeen Group reveals the identity of this new threat and tells how to fight it in part with a dose of its own tactics
BPIOAI Where Business Processes And Integration Meet
What is BPIOAI and why should you care Heres a hint BPIOAI is a strategy as much as a technology It strengthens your organizations ability to interact with any number of systemsinside or outside the organizationby integrating entire business processes both within and between enterprises The writer David Linthicum noted integration expert In this piece prepared for WebV he runs down how BPIOAI can help your company
CustomerDriven Integration Multiple Benefits
Using Web services to give customers interactive bills and documents that integrate with back endsystems can make a company much more efficientand its customers much more loyal In a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here Software AG VP Bill Ruh explains how and why
Simply Put Simplifying Software Saves
And according to IDC Senior VP Anthony Picardi integrationrelated offerings are among the main ones that fit that bill In this IDC Viewpoint Picardi points to five segments likely to lead IT out of its current complexity crisis and in turn its economic morass
Technology Vs Architecture
Many companies are turning to tactical solutions to try to ride out this testy economic period But ebizQ Vice President of Strategic Services Beth GoldBernstein says planning strategically can save time and money in the long run In this column GoldBernstein advocates applying the concepts of a serviceoriented eventdriven architecture when developing an integration infrastructure GoldBernstein also offers a detailed rundown of the critical components of such an architecture
Challenge To Vendors Clear Up Confusion
As the head of an integration advocacy group Michael Kuhbock gets to hear daily from users and vendors alike And what he hears is disconcerting users say they get mixed and confusing messages from vendors more interested in seeming unique than in meeting customer needs Kuhbock says its time the industry cleaned up its marketing act
Back To The Future
As much as things are changing in IT the more they may be staying the same For now At least thats the conclusion of a major survey conducted for EAI vendor Mercator Software which finds that most companies see extending the life of and integrating legacy apps as a key priority this year Newer technologies such as Web services will just have to wait their turn and until budgets loosen up the survey shows Mercator senior VP and CMO Michael J Collins has an indepth look for us at those and other significant and in some cases surprising survey results
Testing The Limits of Integration
The success of integration projects hinges on many factors but one thats often taken for granted is testing And ebizQ analyst David Kelly warns that it needs your careful attention In this column he explains the value of integration testing how it differs from other forms and the elements youll need for your integration testing to make the grade
Business Process Management From Now On
The evolution of IT to what ebizQ columnists Howard Smith and Peter Fingar herald as the era of business process management systems came in distinct logical steps each built on the shortcomings of its predecessor Here Smith and Fingar trace those steps and in so doing show why they feel so strongly that this era was worth waiting for
Oracles New Business Process View
Oracle perhaps a bit late to the business process game is approaching it in a way that some say may already have put the software giant ahead of earlierbird rivals Certainly says the Aberdeen Group Oracles take on processes is different But will it work And what might it mean to you Aberdeen took a look
Web Services And The Mainframe Bridging IT Eras
IT has moved from hardware and software eras to the era of the network aided in large part by Web services says META Groups Mark Vanston In a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here he and Candle senior architect Peter Rhys Jenkins explore ITs current state and how mainframes fit in
Fairly Flat February For Software Maker Valuations
Businessenabling software providers had a somewhat dreary February according to investment banking company TripleTree Most enterprise valuetorevenue multiples in the space inched down or stayed the same Here we present an indepth review and analysis by TripleTree of Februarys trends including a look at the building momentum surrounding offshore services and development as IT firms seek to leverage global resources
Squeezing Ambiguity Out Of The Business Process
While human solutions are fine and even encouraged in the course of daytoday business they can be downright disruptive if their impact isnt taken into account when process management technology is implemented or applications are integrated With that in mind ebizQ analyst David Kelly opines in this column about the process of automating processes
Architectures Role In App Integration
What are the three ways to go about integrating applications and which is the best one for your project What are three ways to think of architecture and why is the most common often the least desirable when it comes to integrating apps Learn all that and more in this straightshooting sometimes even humorous report from noted EDS director Ross Altman
Moving Away From XSLT
ebizQ is happy to welcome a new columnist renowned integration expert David Linthicum CTO and Executive Vice President of RD of Mercator Software In his first column for us Linthicum looks at XSLT and explains why the standard is appealing where it falls short and most importantly the lessons it can teach us about applying standards in general and technology in particular
Portal Deployments Best Practices
The Robert Frances Group says properly executed portal rollouts can deliver significant value to businesses But the devils in the details And RFG has a complete guide to help make your deployment well worth itand as painfree as possible
IBM And BEA Major Moves Different Approaches
Amid a flurry of recent releases in the integration space those by BEA and IBM stand out The two took decidedly different paths in sweeping new platforms one emphasizing solutions the other architecture ebizQ Vice President Beth GoldBernstein took a close look at both and came away with opinions as strong as the new wares are significant
IBM Still Ahead Of The Field
IBMs major WebSphere integrationoriented release also caught the attention of principal analyst William Fellows of analyst firm the He says the new suite is a big step toward a complete integration platform and may even light a fire under the feet of some key IBM rivals in the integration space
Integrating Your Team Not Just Your Applications
Carrying out a successful integration project involves more than simply selecting the technology for it Just as important is picking the people to do the job In this column ebizQ analyst David A Kelly offers advice on how to get the best humans to implement the technology
Targeted Integration A David Linthicum Book Excerpt
In a forthcoming book renowned integration expert and new ebizQ columnist David S Linthicum puts integration in perspective showing where it is and where its headed One such direction he says clearly is solutions for specific verticals In this chapter from Next Generation Application IntegrationFrom Simple Information to ServiceOriented Models late Addison Wesley Longman Linthicum explores integrations present and future penetration in Finance Healthcare and Manufacture Retail and Distribution MRD
Tearing Down th Century Silos With st Century BPM
A notsofunny thing happens when business users try to complete tasks or projects the very applications created to help them do their jobs get in the way Thats because applications are byandlarge recluses isolated from other software The result Those same users have to come up with workarounds to circumvent the obstacles put up by the applications which slows down everyone and everything Even EAI and BBi dont respond to changing conditions and business processes The solution according to Howard Smith and Peter Fingar in their latest column for ebizQ BPM which enables the technology to change as needs do offering the ultimate in helpful flexibility and connectivity
Integration Continuum Continues Breathing New Life Into Legacy Apps
The struggle to extend legacy systems in an age of information sharing and realtime enterprises is part of the natural order in the IT world says Gartner Research Director Dale Vecchio In an ebizQ webinar summarized here he puts the struggles in perspective and tells where things are heading
ERP Heavyweights Target RealTime Enterprise Needs
ERP vendors now entrenched in their customer bases are taking the next step by providing a path for their customers to attain the level of process and application integration that will fulfill the requirements of the extended enterprise according to analyst firm the It says users are looking to ERP application developers to help deliver on the original promise of better visibility into realtime corporate data and tight integration of disparate applications which can provide endtoend business process support So far the points out in this report this hasnt happened But the future may well be different
RoleBased Integration Rises In Importance
Dont look now but rolebased integration could just be the next hot trend in the integration space And while the benefits for your company could be substantial they wont necessarily come easily In this column ebizQ Vice President for Strategic Services Beth GoldBernstein explains what rolebased integration is tells how it could help and outlines what your company could do to prepare to usher it in
Back To The Future Development In Focus
As integration products evolve their development capabilities are becoming more and more important to businesses In this column ebizQ analyst David A Kelly explains why and gives some pointers on picking the right integration solution for your company
Software Vendors Mark Time To Start
Businessenabling software providers began the year with a narrowly mixed month according to investment banking company TripleTree Most saw their enterprise valuetorevenue multiples move up or down by only one or two tenths of a point or stay the same Noteworthy exceptions included the business intelligence apps sector whose ratio rose fourtenths of a point ERP which went up threetenths and financial services which dropped by sixtenths The integration software space stayed steady Here we present TripleTrees indepth review and analysis of Januarys trends
Preparing To Become A ProcessOriented Enterprise
Youve no doubt been seeing a lot about it And perhaps your company has been slow to start moving in that direction In this piece analyst Eric Austvold of AMR Research spells out the benefits of becoming a processoriented enterprise explains the role Web services will play and suggests organizational changes that could help smooth the transition
How To Avoid Hardening Of Software Arteries
Independent software vendor ISV and IT execs are facing a task of unprecedented magnitude upgrading their existing businesscritical software to Itanium the Web and Web services The price of failure says analyst firm The Aberdeen Group is software sclerosis the increasing inability to adapt to new system demands because the software arteries the enterprise depends on for cost savings and competitive advantage harden ie they cant scale theyre prone to failure and they dont adapt to new enduser demands Whats the best course for execs to take Aberdeen offers its expertise in this report
SeeBeyond Promising Revolutionary Release
The vendor says the new version of its integration suite will be on the market by the end of Q and with it SeeBeyond is expected to plunge into the realtimeenterprise technology pool But just how revolutionary will the upgraded suite really be Analyst firm the has an early line for you
Integrations Increasing Importance
Companies continue to turn to integration as they seek a competitive edge by becoming more flexible and efficient They move toward realtime infrastructures so they can adapt quickly to changing market conditions and serve their customers better Yet integration has inherent challenges All these trends and more are borne out in a recent survey by ebizQ and the analyst firm IDC In this executive brief IDC reviews the highlights of that survey one that chronicles an evergrowing trend
BPMs Third Wave From Modeling to Management
Business process management isnt just replacing business process modeling in the acronym BPM Its also giving process modeling a new significance in the real world of business process management In their latest column for ebizQ Howard Smith and Peter Fingar run down nine reasons the ioldi BPM never cut it and explain pointbypoint why the ineweri BPM has the old one beat culminating in a new valuable business tool that could revolutionize the businessIT landscape
Picking The Right Integration Solution
When it comes to integration one size doesnt fit all In a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here Data Junctions David Inbar and ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein size up the different types to help you decide which are tailormade for your organization
Intalio Hits BPM Market Will Market Hit Back
There are years of pentup demand for BPM software that works though there have been many false dawns in the past when the software failed to deliver However this year many more pieces are in place than ever before according to analyst firm the It says Intalio has earned its stripes in the battle to get BPM standards done but now the really hard work begins being a startup trying to grab a piece of what could be a significant opportunity How will Intalio fare Read thes take
The Evolution of Application Integration Platforms
Application integration platforms have evolved to ease the administrative overhead associated with maintaining the growing number of clientserver packages in most companies As clientserver applications evolve toward distributed applications and Web services the nextgeneration AIP architecture promises more improvements in IT administrative productivity This paper from Fiorano Software explains how
Clearing Up BPM Acronym Confusion
Business Process Management BPM is becoming such a significant part of the IT buzz and landscape its generating a host of related acronyms as only IT functions can Trouble is those acronyms tend to confuse rather than clarify But not to worry ebizQs own Beth GoldBernstein is here to clear the BPM air She explains theres more than semantics at stake here theres the likelihood of making sound business and IT purchasing decisions
December A Mixed Month For Software Companies
Businessenabling software providers tended to see their enterprise valuetorevenue multiples drift lower with the exception being integration apps vendors whose ratio rose a bit But SCM CRM ERP procurement business intelligence and systems and content management companies slipped and the security sector sagged badly Wireless software providers and software and portal development apps vendors stayed where theyd been In this report investment banking firm TripleTree offers indepth analysis of the month and a look back at as a whole
Why Selling Integration Projects Is Easier Now
The times and the technology they are a changin and as a result it should be less difficult to persuade executives minding the company till that integration projects are worth investing in Here ebizQ analyst Dave Kelly offers a rundown of why that is and how that could help you make your case for those projects
Quality Data At A RealTime Tempo
Realtime analytics software is already reaping significant benefits for businesses But the faster pace that realtime analytics offers can also present problems Rather than gaining rapid insight companies may be making faster mistakes because the data on which theyre basing decisions may be flawed Mixing realtime and batch processes is challenging In this report Aberdeen analysts Guy Creese and Alex Veytsel explain the situation and offer suggestions on the best approach to bringing your company up to realtime speed
How EAI Can Improve Profitability in the Energy Industry
EAI technologies promise to significantly boost productivity in the oil and gas industry Here Ankur Laroia of the SequenceGroup explains how
Back To Integration Basics
Whether youre a business person just learning about integration or an IT professional who needs to brush up youll benefit from the recent ebizQ webinar presented by SeeBeyonds Rick Clements and Chris Home and ebizQs Beth GoldBernstein The event summarized here spells out the ABCs of EAI
Making ERP Work the Way Your Business Works
ERP has changed considerably over the past few years Here John White of Fuego discusses the evolution of ERP systems and shares some lessons he learned about ERP while he was CIO of Compaq
Measuring the Impact of a Business Intelligence Initiative
Business intelligence solutions help companies efficiently access and analyze data so they can operate more effectively But such solutions needs to be implemented correctly to have true value This paper from SPSS offers several methods for helping organizations evaluate their business intelligence initiatives
The Year In Review And Looking Forward To The New
Survival was the name of the game for most companies in and in her yearend column ebizQ Vice President of Strategic Services Beth GoldBernstein looks at how integration vendors played that game She also ventures an opinion on the mosthyped technology of the year Well give you a hint Its initials are WS In addition GoldBernstein gazes into her crystal ball to tell us about likely trends in Among them the arrival of the application server as THE enterprise server and BPM playing an evermore critical role in integration efforts
Integration Matures With Business Activity Monitoring
Business activity monitoring and business process management are widely viewed as the next big steps in integration making it an even more valuable business tool Here analyst Dave Kelly takes a look at how realtime business activity monitoring can help companies their partners suppliers and even their customers
Software Shares Fare Well In November
Businessenabling software providers generally saw their stockpricetorevenue ratios rise Integration apps providers as well asCRM SCM and ERP companies fell into that category So did business intelligence security software development portal development and systems management companies Only procurement and wirelessmobile Internet firms failed to gain ground
Making WebSphere MQ Secure
Potential MQ security breaches are everywhereLANs the MQ default port SYSTEMDEFxxx and other strings and especially WiFi wireless connections In a recent ebizQ webinar summarized here Candle solutions architect Peter Rhys Jenkins offers some tips to minimize your risk
Process Visibility The Key to Optimizing Business Operations
In this article Michael Harris of FileNET describes the market drivers and customer requirements for business process analysis and reporting He also explains how new reporting and analysis solutions can improve an organizations bottom line by helping them evaluate and redesign their business processes
Enterprise Portals eGovernment Comes of Age
Enterprise portals allow government agencies to extend knowledge management and business processes in previously unimaginable ways to the benefit of both employees and the public Haridas Nair of Sybase explains how
Integrating Enterprise Portals with BPM
As companies begin creating portals to streamline information flows they face the daunting challenge of consolidating disparate information systems Building pointtopoint connections between the portal and the information source only creates additional information silos Here Robert Giljum of Oracle discusses why portal platforms require business process management capabilities
Seven Reasons to Buy a Portal
Need a good reason for installing an enterprise portal Plumtree Softwares Glenn Kelman can give you seven Here he explains the chief benefits of a portal and the key deadlines to be considered when implementing one
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