BEAs Latest Survival Tack: Integrated Product Stack

This integration effort is a multiyear project complicated by a geographically dispersed development team. BEAs WebLogic team is in San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.; the Tuxedo team is in New Jersey; and the team that BEA acquired with Crossgain Corp. is in Seattle.

In addition, Chuang said hes going to invest in China, not only to tap into developers to work on projects scoped out in the United States but also so the Chinese team can develop new multinational software on its own.

Despite Chuangs accusations against IBM, BEAs integration strategy is pretty loosely coupled itself. However, it is clear that BEA is moving quickly toward that goal.

The announcement and beta release of WebLogic Platform 8.1 signals a big step toward the convergence of enterprise integration software and the application server, predicted for years by eWeek and other publications. The BEA announcement places the company ahead of IBM, which is still molding the adapters that it licenses to those it acquired with the purchase of Crossworlds Software.

IBM, perhaps trying to fend off any momentum BEA gained at eWorld, killed the Crossworlds brand name and rolled the technology into yet another WebSphere brand name—WebSphere Business Integration Modeler and Monitor. IBM also updated WebSphere Business Integration Server. These integration packages may technically surpass BEAs, but if they are not integrated tightly into WebSphere itself, they wont save developers any time.

But if BEA is ahead in the integration race, it is not out front by much, since the company relies significantly on Information Builders iWay Software adapters as a way to tap into legacy applications controlled by archcompetitor IBM.

Also key to BEAs integration plan is the way in which the company integrates its stack. Building on the JRocket Java virtual machine, co-developed by BEA and Intel Corp., BEA offers the application server, the integration components and a development studio that for the first time looks competitive in the application development market, all topped by a portal strategy. The inclusion of Tuxedo in the stack helps BEA tap into mission-critical applications. Without Tuxedo, BEAs strategy looks identical to everyone elses.

As much as Chuang rings the integration bell, however, its still not all about integration, although that story helps in an economic climate that dictates that more efficient development strategies are employed.

Chuang realized this when he said, "This is not a marketing event; this is a real event."

One of the key events that has led to BEAs growth is IBMs purchase of PricewaterhouseCoopers. While this has led to IBM controlling at least 20 percent of the system integrator space, which in turn does a majority of WebSphere implementations, it also has led the other major consulting companies to shiver at the thought of recommending WebSphere. "We cant thank IBM enough," said Chuang.

Labs Director John Taschek can be reached at john_taschek@ziffdavis.com.

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