Stories about: webMethods

The SOA concept -- developing a software architecture based on service components that can be mixed and matched as needed to reduce development time and increase application deployment flexibility -- is only a few years old, but the providers of SOA-supporting infrastructure are fast consolidating. Oracle captured the headlines with its acquisition of BEA Systems this spring, and Progress Software recently bought Iona Technologies.

Retail giant Woolworths has added business process management (BPM) capabilities to its supply chain redevelopment program.

Software AG will be among the world's 10 largest software companies within the next five years, executives said Monday at the massive Cebit show in Germany.

The world of business software continued its inexorable march toward Total Consolidation in 2007. If IBM was off the mark in 1943 when it (supposedly) predicted a world with only five computers, it might have better luck today with a similar prediction about the software industry.

SAP is allowing individual developers to buy a one-year subscription for its NetWeaver software in a move to bring new blood to the platform and expand its community of users.

Software AG unveiled details of Version 7.1 of the webMethods business process management suite on Wednesday, along with a new enterprise service bus (ESB) and a supply chain performance optimization tool.

Financial institution Credit Suisse is embarking on a large scale Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) project to build a more flexible application landscape.

In recent months, the acquisition of SOA (service-oriented architecture) player webMethods has been the dominant news coming out of Software AG, but the middleware company also continues to hone its mainframe software and strategy.

There will be no local job cuts as a result of Software AG's $US546 million acquisition of WebMethods.

Analysts expect Oracle's purchase of business intelligence software vendor Hyperion Solutions will lead to more takeovers in this space, with Business Objects and Cognos the most likely targets of companies looking to expand through acquisition.

Back in 1999, Avnet's senior managers realized things had to change. A series of acquisitions had left the electronic components distributor with a glut of applications and platforms whose lack of interoperability was complicating operations. That problem stood directly in the way of the company's new goal of providing e-commerce services to its clients and expanding the company beyond traditional order management and delivery. Making good on the e-commerce promise required consistent results for clients, no matter where they might be or what channel they used.