Welcome to the blog where IBMers exchange viewpoints, share their perspectives to provide more insight around service oriented architecture solutions, and delve into a range of SOA-related subjects. We want you to speak out on SOA through comments in the blog -- from where your organization stands on SOA adoption, to your challenges and experiences -- to share with the larger community the impact of SOA on your marketplace. Sandy Carter is IBM's Vice President, SOA & WebSphere Marketing, Strategy and Channels. Discover the entry points to SOA and how companies worldwide are making SOA pay right away.

Over 2000 Shipwrecks.......!!!!!!

As I am on the NC coast, I was surprised today to learn that over 2000 shipwrecks have occured off of these coasts, more than any other East Coast area. Why so many? Hurricanes, treacherous shoals, unpredictable weather and war caused the majority of the wrecks! Today we rented jet skis and went exploring around the area .... to check out and learn about the history. It was neat to see how many other captains had "learned" about the ways to predict and avoid such hazards in the area.....and so were able to be successful in getting to the NC Shore!

I know it sounds crazy but that is one reason we kicked off in June, the IBM SOA Business Catalog . No, it is not there to help with shipwrecks but it is there for assisting and teaching others about best practices -- how to harness the knowledge around SOA that already exists in the market. Since its launch, we've had almost 13,000 homepage hits with over 10,000 click-throughs to IBM and Business Partners SOA assets with a 77% hit-to-download rate!

The inclusion of business partner assets are so critical to the SOA Business Catalog, But the only way to get there is by achieving SOA Specialty Status which is why we've made it a direct benefit of achieving the SOA Specialty

The SOA Specialty is really taking off - we have more than 40 business partners that have achieved the specialty so far!

If you're a business partner that wants to be part of the SOA ecosystem and marketplace, you can apply for the SOA Specialty and take advantage of the SOA Business Catalog. It's a fantastic way to both share your knowledge and grow your business.

Until tomorrow's adventure!!!

I can hear the ocean and Tim Berners-Lee!

I am in NC at Wrightsville Beach. I find nothing as relaxing as the ocean and my dream is that one day, I could live here for months on end. Today, as I was swimming with my 2 girls I could think of nothing better. The weather was perfect, the sky was super blue, and the crowds light! Wow!

So at night while sitting here listening to the waves crashing on the ocean, I decided to surf the site for great podcasts that I could learn from (yes I know, on vacation too -- I also bought a couple of great leadership books to read!!). I listened to the podcast by Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the WWW! Listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 greatest minds of this century, his inspiring work on the Web set the stage for a world of changes in the way people do business, entertain themselves, exchange ideas, and socialize. He talked about his early history with the Web, opportunities and challenges at present, emerging technologies, and his current project: the semantic Web.

Click here for the unique opportunity to hear from the man whose work truly changed the world.

Click here

Great news!!! New Wintergreen SOA Marketshare report!

A new Wintergreen Report is out "Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) Market Opportunities, Market Forecasts, and Market Strategies, 2006-2012' July 2006.

IBM increased its market share to 46% in 2005, up from 2004. IBM has SOA business process management (BPM) initiatives that benefit companies by implementing streamlined processes, improved customer service, more effective compliance and risk management, and improved responsiveness to changing business conditions helped drive the results.

YEA!!!

I love Austin and SOA!

OK...I just landed back home in NY from my old home Austin! I already miss it.

I hit all my favorite restaurants for food I can't find in Westchester....
Rudy's Bar b que

Maudies for Tex Mex

Waterloos Ice House

(yes, I am not a fancy restaurant kind of girl. I can get that in NY. I love the spice and the favor of the simple things in life!)

And went to the coolest pottery store...

Clarksville Pottery

You know I've lived all over and Austin is my favorite!

How does this relate to SOA? Well I went down there to visit with Manoj, the CEO of Webify, the company we just acquired. I had a super meeting discussing how to really focus us on the business outcome and value that SOA can deliver through the assets that Webify brings to the table.

I look forward to discussing more about our Point of Views on several key topics as he and I work more closely together!
I was truly impressed with his vision and his focus on execution for the customer. It was one of the best meetings I've had in a while!

This great brainstorming about customers and the value we can provide will prove to show up in several interesting blogs! Expect these topics to be rolling off very soon!

Until then.....hookem' horns!

I love SOA and Austin!

OK...I just landed back home in NY from my old home Austin! I already miss it.

I hit all my favorite restaurants for food I can't find in Westchester....
Rudy's Bar b que

Maudies for Tex Mex

Waterloos Ice House

(yes, I am not a fancy restaurant kind of girl. I can get that in NY. I love the spice and the favor of the simple things in life!)

And went to the coolest pottery store...

Clarksville Pottery

You know I've lived all over and Austin is my favorite!

How does this relate to SOA? Well I went down there to visit with Manoj, the CEO of Webify, the company we just acquired. I had a super meeting discussing how to really focus us on the business outcome and value that SOA can deliver through the assets that Webify brings to the table.

I look forward to discussing more about our Point of Views on several key topics as he and I work more closely together!
I was truly impressed with his vision and his focus on execution for the customer. It was one of the best meetings I've had in a while!

This great brainstorming about customers and the value we can provide will prove to show up in several interesting blogs! Expect these topics to be rolling off very soon!

Until then.....hookem' horns!

Business Week Article Rocks!!!

This is a REALLY awesome article!

This story from Businessweek profiles IBM's software business, the impact of the recent acquisitions and the importance of service oriented architecture as "the next big thing" for IBM.

A few highlights include;

Here's the big surprise: Big Blue's $16.8 billion software business now contributes even more profit to the bottom line than services, and it's just now emerging as the $91 billion company's most dependable growth engine. "Software is not only the fastest-growing but the most entrepreneurial and the most profitable part of IBM," says analyst Bob Djurdjevic of Annex Research.

The profit picture for software is even prettier. Annex Research estimates that for 2006, software will account for 20% of IBM's revenues but 37% of its profits.

The most successful products fall within the so-called "middleware" segment—software that sits between computer operating systems and run-the-business applications like payroll that a company's executives and employees use day to day. IBM leads the $80 billion middleware market with an 18% share ($12.6 billion in revenues last year), compared with less than 10% shares for Oracle and Microsoft.

Now a fundamental shift is taking place in middleware that could light a fire under IBM's software business. More and more, companies are using a new kind of technology called service-oriented architectures (SOA) for building new computer systems or revamping old ones.

SOA allows companies to build new applications faster, reuse older software, and reuse the new components they create. So it's fast and efficient. No wonder an April survey of chief information officers by Merrill Lynch showed that 87% of them expect SOA to be the " next big thing" in enterprise computing. IBM is already the leader in SOA, and that puts it in a great position to benefit from its soaring popularity.

Mills' group has a 44% share of the market, compared with 13% for second-ranked Sun Microsystems and 10% for BEA Systems, according to WinterGreen Research.

Motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson (HDI ) shows how SOA works—IBM-style. The company has a vast portfolio of applications for running every aspect of its business. But it found that once its applications are created they're very hard to change. So it bought IBM software and hired IBM consultants to revamp its systems using SOA technologies so they can be more flexible.

To make life simpler for customers, IBM last month introduced a catalog of premade components and a collection of templates designed for more than 15 industries. It developed these pieces in the course of more than 2,000 SOA engagements. The Webify purchase adds pages to the catalog, since Webify has focused on components and templates for the telecommunications industry and government.

> The Full Article Link

The good and the bad! Yea we won the SOA Varbusiness Award!

So let's start with the good! IBM has won the best company in VarBusiness's ARC awards for SOA!
Read me!
This is crucial because IBM needs partners to really demonstrate the value that SOA brings to the business. This SOA Business Outcome is a huge thought..we do SOA not because it is cool technology but because it is valuable to the business.

Now the bad......I traveled Yesterday. The airports are a zoo especially in NY...with lines and lines and lots of frustration. I not only waited 1.5 hours to get through security but then had a 6 hour delay. I am wondering about this impact on everyone. I was so thankful for my computer and blackberry and wondered how I could have survived it without these devices!

Has anyone else traveled lately? What are your thoughts on how we deal with making this both safe and efficient!

Blog with you later!

What's your favorite.....

I just got back from filming a segment for IBM on my favorite innovation. I didn't think this would be a hard decision -- but it was. I thought about GPS and how much it helps me in this unfamiliar NY area....virtual communities like this blog that allow you to have a relationship without having ever met, or cell phones and blackberries that keep me connected no matter where I go. I love my digital camera....and the list goes on and on.

How do you pick your favorite innovation? What's yours?

Think about it. It is a hard choice!!

This is one of the reasons I am so jazzed about being able to focus on SOA for IBM . Why are the 2 (innovation and SOA linked)? To me innovation is all about being able to change, see change, be change. SOA allows that change to occur in the business. SOA is a key enabler of innovation!

New External Link to Order SOA for Dummies & Happy Hot Weekend

SOA for Dummies .

More information on Webify! Some of the frequently asked questions!

General Q&A

1. What are you announcing today?
A. IBM is acquiring Webify Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of industry-specific SOA software and services. Webify is a privately-held company, formed in 2002. The company is headquartered in Austin, TX, with a development lab in Mumbai, India. Webify has approximately 120 employees.

2. When did IBM close this deal?
A. This deal closed on August 1, 2006.

3. What was the purchase price?
A. We are not disclosing the purchase price.

4. Why did IBM acquire Webify?
A. IBM has acquired Webify for its market leading industry-focused SOA software and services. Webify can accelerate the delivery of SOA composite business applications based on pre-built, customizable SOA assets, semantic models and policies. IBM Software Group and IBM Global Services will use Webify’s capabilities to enable clients to more quickly and flexibly create SOA applications that can be composed primarily from existing assets. Webify complements and extends IBM’s SOA software portfolio, including WebSphere Integration Developer, WebSphere Process Server, and the WebSphere Service Registry and Repository. Webify has received significant industry recognition, most recently receiving two prestigious awards from ACORD, the Global Standards Association for the Insurance Industry.

5. What are the customer requirements that drove this acquisition?
A. Clients want the ability to reuse existing assets in flexible SOA applications that can be built and changed quickly. Clients also require SOA applications that are focused on their specific industries. SOA is about reuse, and Webify takes reuse to the next level by putting it in an industry-specific context. Applications built using SOA principles and Webify technology can be assembled, deployed and changed with significantly less time and resources than traditional applications. Customers have asked us to provide the linkage from SOA to their specific industries, and the acquisition of Webify is the continuation of a significant commitment by IBM in that direction.

6. How does this acquisition allow IBM Software and Services to jointly serve clients?
A. This is a unique acquisition for IBM – not just software, not just services, but both. Webify allows IBM to serve clients better by pooling the SOA-related efforts of several groups - Software Group, Global Business Services, Global Technology Services, and the Global Business Solution Center.

IBM Software Group will gain the Webify middleware technology, which extends IBM’s existing SOA Foundation and complements IBM’s SOA Lifecycle and Industry Solutions. IBM Global Services will gain Webify’s existing portfolio of SOA composite business services, as well as its methodology for creating new composite business services. Within IGS, Global Business Services (GBS) intends to provide service engagements based on existing Webify industry content and newly developed industry content. IBM’s recently announced Global Business Solution Center (GBSC) intends to create new composite business services. Global Technology Services (GTS) plans to host and provision existing and newly developed composite business services.

7. What industries are currently covered by Webify?
A. Most of Webify’s current customers are in the Insurance and Healthcare industries. Development is currently underway for SOA composite business services in Banking, Telecom, and Public Sector. IBM plans to extend this development across a wide variety of industries. The Global Business Solution Center in India will have the lead role in the development of new SOA composite business services.

8. What is the Global Business Solution Center?
A. The Global Business Solution Center in India, which was announced in March 2006, has the primary role within IBM for developing new SOA solution assets, such as the composite business services that are enabled by Webify middleware.

9. What do Webify products do?
A. Webify provides middleware tools and runtimes for assembling and deploying industry-specific SOA composite applications. The software includes a wide variety of industry-specific content, including the ability to perform semantic mediation. This semantic mediation capability can significantly speed up the process of providing solutions for industry standards such as ACORD, HIPAA, SWIFT, IAA, HL7, XBRL, FIXML and eTOM, to name just a few. Webify’s industry content also includes business process models, product catalogs (insurance industry products, for example), industry message sets, pre-built Web services assertions, interfaces to third party industry services, and pre-built interoperability with the IBM adaptor portfolio.

10. Why did IBM buy Webify instead of one of its competitors?
A. Webify is recognized as having the industry-leading SOA software and services focused on vertical markets.

11. How does the Webify technology extend the IBM SOA development and runtime capabilities?
A. Webify extends and complements IBM’s existing SOA Foundation by adding an industry-specific layer that supports semantic mediation. The semantic and industry standards supported by Webify are those that are important to our clients in those industries. Current industry support is for Insurance and Healthcare, with Banking, Telecom and Public Sector in development. Support will be broadened to cover numerous additional industries. Current semantic and industry standards that are supported include ACORD, HIPAA, SWIFT, WS-I, IAA, HL7, XBRL, FIXML and eTOM.

Semantic mediation increases the industry awareness and focus of SOA composite applications. Webify allows for the concept of business context to be dynamically applied to SOA services. This creates a new pattern of business-aware SOA services that focus on line of business execution, rather than technology limitations. This technology can allow development teams to more accurately and efficiently deliver SOA development in alignment with a line of business vision. The Webify runtime extends IBM’s middleware with semantic awareness and the dynamic binding of services, which can allow for a more efficient use of services and a reduction in the quantity of services required.

12. What are IBM’s plans for the products acquired with Webify?
A. IBM plans to invest in, support, market and sell the Webify middleware portfolio under the WebSphere brand name. The Webify products continue to be sold as-is and without disruption today. In the coming weeks, IBM will announce the rebranded, renamed, and repackaged versions of the Webify products.

IBM is also acquiring from Webify a set of SOA composite business services for specific business areas, such as Claims Lifecycle in the Insurance industry. These composite business services will be used by IBM Global Services to help speed the delivery of mission-critical industry applications to clients.

13. Does IBM intend to further develop the Webify products? What is the roadmap plan for these products?
A. Yes. IBM recognizes that industry-focused applications are key to the future of SOA. IBM will further develop and integrate these products, based on the needs of the market.

14. How does IBM intend to price these products?
A. Initial pricing will be based on the existing Webify pricing model. Further pricing decisions will be announced as the platform is rebranded. More information and announcements on the topic is expected to be available in late 2006 and 2007.

15. How will the Webify portfolio be branded?
A. The Webify middleware will be branded as IBM WebSphere. IBM Global Business Services will use an additional set of assets, Webify’s SOA composite business services, as part of their engagements and the assets that they provide to their clients. Additional information will be made available in the coming weeks. IBM Global Technology Services will provide hosting and provisioning for Webify composite business services.

16. What challenges do you see in integrating Webify with IBM?
A. We see no significant problems or challenges with this integration. Webify has been built on and optimized for IBM technology.

Webify Acquisition for SOA Industry Composite Business Services!

Today is a very exciting day as we announced our acquisition of Webify. To me, this announcement has a few key elements.

1) We acquired Webify for its market leading industry-focused SOA software, industry content, industry accelerators and services.
2) Webify products accelerate the delivery of SOA composite business applications based on pre-built, customizable SOA assets, semantic models and dynamic run-time.
3) We will use Webify products to enable customers to more quickly and flexibly create SOA applications that can be composed primarily from existing assets.
4) Webify complements and extends IBM’s SOA software portfolio, focusing on WebSphere Process Server, and WebSphere Service Registry and Repository.

The number of press stories is multiplying!!! Over 35 stories to date.

Early press has been very favorable. At this early hour, articles have been written in already in the Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, CNET news, varBusiness and many other publications around the world.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this acquisition.....here is where you can learn more! Click here to learn more!!!

Snokeling for the first time with a 5 year old!

Hey! I just arrived back from St Thomas and had a wonderful time! I took my daughter to Cokki Beach and Trunk Bay for some awesome snorkeling!!!
It was her first time and the excitement in seeing those fish was amazing! She of course laughed and leaked in a lot of water. Too funny but the energy and amazement made me realize there is more to life than SOA!!

Thanks for the great response on the SOA for dummies book! Keep the emails and requests coming in!

More exciting news on SOA later this week!

Here's to vacations, sand, and turquoise waters!

Cheers!

SOA driving Business Results!

Did you see the impact SOA is having on the market and the value delivered to our customers?

Read here!

SOA Drives Value

Order for FREE the SOA for Dummies book! Special Edition for IBM!

Now I am getting so many notes I want to provide you the website where you guys can go directly to order your very own SOA for Dummies Book! Happy Reading!

SOA for Dummies

SOA for Dummies Free Offer

Many thanks for the notes and pings on our SOA for Dummies -- the IBM edition! If you want a copy, please send me your address in a note to scarter@us.ibm.com!!

Thanks for the great response!!!