IBM plans to release enterprise service bus

Patrick Thibodeau   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Networking and Internet Stories  

Advances in SSL and Certificate Management Virtualization: Simplify. Automate. Lower Costs. Mobile Device Management: Wresting Order from Chaos Extending COBOL to SOA, Web Services and Beyond Extend, Replace, or Convert; which is the best way forward for COBOL Applications? 7 Requirements of Data Loss Prevention Virtual Reality SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Mobility @ the Speed of Business Sign up to receive Web Services Resource Alerts

October 27, 2003 (Computerworld) -- IBM intends to release an enterprise service bus (ESB) next year, a move likely to raise the profile of the relatively nascent but potentially far-reaching integration technology.

In a briefing with Computerworld editors last week, John Swainson, IBM's general manager of application development and integration, said the company will deliver "an enterprise-class messaging bus that would attach everything to everything." Swainson said IBM's ESB will enable companies to put existing messaging traffic in an environment that allows "every application to talk to this bus."

ESBs typically use messaging technology combined with a service-oriented architecture, XML, Web services protocols and intelligent routing to tie together disparate systems. Vendors and analysts say it's a less costly alternative to proprietary integration approaches, and they expect widespread adoption.

'Disruptive Technology'

Framingham, Mass.-based IDC, in a report released in March, called ESBs a "disruptive technology." And Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. said it will become a major market force.

Despite rave reviews from analysts, ESB adoption remains low. One integration vendor, Tibco Software Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif., maintains that there isn't enough customer demand to offer the technology. And the reason for that, said Matt Quinn, the company's chief architect, is that an ESB works for low-level integration problems but won't help a company manage complex business processes.

But ESB vendors Sonic Software Corp. in Bedford, Mass., and SpiritSoft Ltd. in Boston said IBM's decision to build an ESB will draw attention to a technology that remains in the very early stages of customer adoption.

IBM validates the market, said Robert Davies, chief technology officer at SpiritSoft, "and that's good for everybody."

Another vendor that may also be giving credibility to the ESB concept is Microsoft Corp. At its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles this week, Microsoft will unveil its "Indigo" programming model. But Gartner analyst Roy Schulte said Indigo will include features similar to those used in ESBs.

Those characteristics include Web services, the equivalent of message-oriented middleware, simple intelligent routing and a distributed peer-based architecture rather than an architecture built around a central hub, said Schulte.

Although ESB technology is based on open standards, a standard is missing that "pulls them all together," said Gordon Van Huizen, chief technology officer at Sonic. Van Huizen said he expects to see several competing implementations of ESBs before standards agreements are reached.

The standards issue worries one early adopter, Jon Johnson, chief engineer at defense contractor Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Colorado Springs. Johnson, a Sonic user, said adoption of open standards reduces costs because it eliminates the need for custom interfaces. Consequently, he can rely on the skills of his IT staff rather than having to pay consulting fees.

But Johnson said a failure by vendors to agree on a standard for the underlying architecture could lead to proprietary protocols, reducing the benefits of ESBs.

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Yahoo investors have all the reason in the world to feel bitter today, as the company stock hovers at $12,..." Read more... "This company has what it calls a "best-shore" approach to help desk support. Translation: It's offshore -- and not really..." Read more... Read more Networking posts or See all Blogs

Feds considering changes to H-1B application process in wake of report Exploit code loose for six-month-old Windows bug With market meltdown, which tech firms become predator or prey? More top stories...

The Grill: Privacy is a thing of the past, says private investigator Report: World Bank servers breached repeatedly Apple asks judge to make iPhone lawsuit moot

Health hazards for IT workers -- how that desk job wears your body down Too much junk food, too little exercise and a 24/7 tether to technology? Your body ain't happy, friend. Let us count the pains. NASA robot sends back evidence it's snowing on Mars Instruments on the surface of Mars have detected falling snow that is likely evaporating before it reaches the planet. Wall Street's collapse may be computer science's gain One positive development stemming from the collapse of Wall Street may be a boost in interest in computer science and IT careers among students who were previously interested in financial services jobs. Installing Linux apps: A few good tips Getting new software installed on Linux doesn't have to be hard, but it can differ depending on what you're installing. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Windows Protection Zone The Enterprise Search Zone Software as a Service Zone The Security Zone See your link here

Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up Download this Computerworld Executive Briefing, a $195 value, for free! Compliments of Akamai. (Source: Computerworld) SaaS is here to stay as an application delivery channel. You will be using it, but will you do so wisely? This Learn-Fast Guide will prepare you for software delivered over the Web. From security issues to contract negotiations, there's a lot to consider ... and a lot to gain. Download this executive briefing  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Business Transaction Management: Facilitating the Management of Virtual Environments Quick Sizing Guide for SAS Grid Running on HP BladeSystems and EVA Storage Prudential Financial protects its brand with Symantec Data Loss Prevention solutions View more whitepapers

• Feds considering changes to H-1B application process in wake of report
• The Grill: Privacy is a thing of the past, says private investigator
• Exploit code loose for six-month-old Windows bug
• More top stories 

Intercept Spam & Viruses With MessageLabs MessageLabs is offering a complimentary 30 day trial of its managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all know and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk. Register for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper now!