IBM's WebSphere 8 application server leads the company to the top spot in the business-integration software space, with new support for mobile devices and performance improvements to boot.
With its WebSphere 8 software shipping, IBM is claiming a leadership
role in the business-integration software space.
In a July 25
press release, IBM officials noted that research firm Gartner recently named
IBM the leading software vendor for the tenth consecutive year in the $17.6
billion application infrastructure and middleware software market, with a 32.6
percent market share. IBM officials added that new software, clients and
performance benchmark results demonstrate its leadership in the business-integration
market.
IBM's new WebSphere Application Server is now
shipping, along with a range of new features for businesses. The new software
helps clients accelerate the development and delivery of applications and
services for mobile devices, cloud computing and social media.
The WebSphere
Application Server is IBM's foundation for the layer of software known as
middleware. Among the new capabilities in the latest version are features that
enable customers to develop mobile and user-friendly content that includes
interactive components, such as charts, gauges, maps, diagrams, buttons, lists,
transitions, animations and more, the company said.
"The new
software brings further major enhancements in all important aspects, such as
programming models, performance, ease-of-use and operational efficiency," Joachim
Gucker, chief operating officer of ARS Computer and Consulting, said in a
statement. "Looking ahead, it is clear that WebSphere will play an
important role in helping us to continue meeting the evolving needs of
customers."
To extend this
experience to the greatest number of mobile users, the new software now also
supports a wide array of smartphones and tablets such as the iPad, iPhone,
Android and BlackBerry, ensuring that applications deliver a look, feel and
user experience similar to the native device. This capability is vital for
expanding businesses, with IDC reporting that the mobile workforce surpassed 1
billion last year.
IBM officials
said there are more than 100,000 organizations using IBM business-integration
software, including USAA, Blue Cross
Blue Shield, the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services and Homeloans
Management Limited.
"We were
specifically impressed with the enhanced installation capabilities and its
heightened performance, both of which will be a great benefit to our entire
organization," Balaji Madala, IT Specialist for the New Jersey Department
of Human Services, said in a statement.
After a
competitive evaluation, USAA, a financial services provider serving members of
the military, veterans and their families, chose IBM business-integration
software to expand delivery of its financial-service portfolio across multiple
market channels, the company said. USAA is now able to serve its members more
rapidly by streamlining the product and service design and delivery process
using IBM's software, USAA officials said.
IBM client
Homeloans Management Limited, a UK-based financial services firm, is using IBM
software to improve business processes across its credit management, call
center and customer mortgage departments. HML officials said the company needed
an agile and flexible system that could be customized rapidly to meet
ever-changing government requirements.
Meanwhile, key
to WebSphere's success within the middleware segment is IBM's continued
investment in product performance, a commitment that has once again resulted in
industry-leading benchmarks. In the first test of the WebSphere Application
Server V8.0, IBM announced record-breaking performance results, and was named
performance leaders in two out of three categories according to the SPECjEnterprise 2010 benchmark, IBM said. By
delivering the superior performance, the WebSphere Application Server 8.0 gives
companies more responsive business applications, the company said.
Moreover,
WebSphere has earned more than 700 patents across its portfolio since it was
first launched in 1998, contributing to IBM's 18-year record topping the list of the world's most
inventive companies. Beginning with the WebSphere Application
Server, these offerings parallel the evolution of the Web itself from static
pages, sites and content to today's landscape of dynamic services, programs and
real-time processing of all kinds of data and media.
WebSphere was
recently named as one of the top innovations in IBM's 100-year history as part
of the company's centennial celebration this year. The history of WebSphere as
part of IBM's Centennial is chronicled in a documentary video with Steve Mills,
senior vice president, IBM Software Group and Systems Group, and on the IBM Icon of Progress Website.
Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.
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