The Big Launch: IBM rolls out a slew of SOA tools
IBM announced four new and 23 enhanced products as part of its service-oriented architecture strategy.
For business modeling, the latest release of WebSphere Business Modeler features business user tooling based on key performance indicators designed help customers visualize processes to more easily identify bottlenecks, disconnects and inefficiencies before they impact business performance.
Business activity monitoring capabilities are delivered through the release of WebSphere Business Monitor, designed to enable customers to proactively detect events that may impact performance. The latest release of WebSphere Process Server enhances support for advanced human workflow capabilities to more closely align business processes with activities such as task approvals, delegation, or escalation
The IBM Workplace Dashboard Framework provides customers with reusable service-oriented components, advanced administration tools and the ability to create dashboards. The IBM Workplace for Business Strategy Execution is a dashboard that can monitor business goals and objectives, link those objectives to others in the company, and gain greater insight into how specific objectives map to an organization’s overall strategy.
WebSphere Registry and Repository (WSRR) software is intended to help customers manage Web services and shared business processes. The WSSR allows clients to publish and find services and related metadata through all stages of SOA and also supports integration and federation with other standard registries and repositories. To enrich SOA runtime interaction, the WSRR enables optimized access to service metadata and manage service interactions and policies. To gain better control of SOA with governance, the WSRR facilitates service lifecycle with guards for state transitions, analyzes impacts of service introduction, deletion or alteration by maintaining relationships and manages role-based access to services, changes, versioning and service retirement.
Other enhanced products for reinforcing service security include the two releases of Tivoli Federated Identity Manager and Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway and the delivery of WebSphere DataPower XS40, an SOA appliance.
IBM also offered several software products for service management, including IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager (ITCAM) for SOA; the new IBM Change and Configuration Management Database, the Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway, and the Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager, as well as the Lotus Expeditor to distribute and manage services across devices.
AllwaySync geared for automating data exchange
Usov Lab announced the release of AllwaySync, the latest version of a tool for automating data exchange routines across multiple computers. Compatible with most Windows versions, the application allows synchronization of multiple files/folders stored in one or multiple computers and keeps them updated regularly. Synchronization can be performed in one or both directions, via a network connection or any removable drive, including USB keys, flash drives, CDRW disks, MP3 players, Digital Cameras, etc.
AllwaySync features an interface with two path selection fields for building a sync association between two folders. Once the association is set, the user can get the program to analyze what files has been modified recently and propagate the modification to their counterpart in other folder. The user can view all existing sync jobs, their current status, and synchronize them all in one click.
AllwaySync 4.6.10 runs under Windows 98/Me/XP/2000/2003 and is distributed as a freeware product. The program can be downloaded at the company’s Web site.
DataMirror makes a point with PointBase 5.5
DataMirror unveiled DataMirror PointBase 5.5, the latest release of its SQL92/99 JDBC-compliant Java relational database.
DataMirror PointBase is available in two versions: PointBase Embedded for server and Web application development and PointBase Micro, a compact database written for use in handheld devices. PointBase integrates into Java development environments such as Eclipse to reduce development costs and accelerate development cycles, the company said. Transformation Server for Mobile is also available for bi-directional data synchronization between corporate back-end databases and mobile environments for enterprise mobility applications.
Version 5.5 keeps enterprise applications running 24/7 by maintaining a secondary copy of data to support operations in the event of system failure. Data is replicated via database logs to ensure data consistency and integrity, and switchover can be invoked manually. In the event of system failure on the production system, Transformation Server for Mobile automatically re-routes mobile users to synchronize with the secondary PointBase Embedded enterprise database.
Through PointBase 5.5’s push technology, meanwhile, mobile users receive instant notification on a RIM BlackBerry handheld device when new corporate data is generated so they can keep informed about new corporate events.
GWFax 4.0 tackles regulatory issues
Messaging Architects announced the availability of GWFax 4.0 for GroupWise. GWFax is an enterprise-class fax solution with native GroupWise integration that enables users to send, receive, annotate, and manage their faxes directly from the standard GroupWise client, the GroupWise Web Access Client, or the GroupWise Wireless client.
The latest release has added support for Citrix and Terminal Services environments and integrates with Novell eDirectory for centralized administration. To address the current climate of stringent regulations that affect most organizations in the financial, health care, and government sectors, GWFax ties in seamlessly with GWArchive, Messaging Architects’ powerful information management platform that combines e-mail archiving, eDiscovery, regulatory compliance, data protection, and storage optimization into a single solution.
