BEA adds to business-process linup
Published: 19 Jul 2004 16:10 BST
BEA Systems on Monday released a new entrant to its product line-up for business process management, in a move that sharpens the competition in an already crowded field.
BEA WebLogic Server Process Edition -- essentially a repackaging of components of some of the company's existing products -- includes server software and tools for automating complex business processes. The product combines the company's WebLogic Java application server for running Java programs and specialised integration software for connecting discrete systems to perform a specific business workflow.
This process integration software can be used to automate a multi-step business function, such as handling an insurance claim. BEA said the software will make it simpler for programmers to rapidly write workflow applications using Java and Web services.
BEA will price the software at $27,000 (£14,430) per processor. Until now, the highest-end edition of the company's WebLogic application server cost $17,000 per processor. Meanwhile, WebLogic Integration, which has the process automation software, costs $62,000 per processor. Software like WebLogic Integration is used to transport data reliably between business applications, such as feeding customer data from a sales application to an order management system.
WebLogic Server Process Edition also includes BEA's Java development tool, called Workshop.
Company executives say that the new product will put more competitive pressure on smaller, specialised makers of business process management software.
"People have been questioning the validity of spending what could be a lot of money for essentially a single-purpose piece of software," said Peter Linkin, senior director of product marketing at BEA.
Linkin said companies such as BEA that sell full-featured infrastructure software suites are at an advantage because their business process management tools are designed to work with other components of the "platform."
Other integration software companies that compete with BEA have sought to combine process automation functions with their existing wares.
Tibco, for example, earlier this year purchased workflow software company Staffware. The company is planning to release combined products starting next quarter.
Did you find this article useful?
41 out of 84 people found this useful
- Share this article:
