E-Business Foundations

WINNERS

Microsoft Corp.s Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 won the top spot in this years e-Business Foundations category on the strength of the components it combines for building an organizations basic IT infrastructure.

Our judges were impressed by Windows Server 2003s improved security features. Chief among those was the move to the all-new IIS (Internet Information Services) 6.0 Web server, which is faster, more reliable and more secure than the previous version of IIS. Whats more, IIS 6.0 is not installed by default in Windows Server 2003, which reduces unnecessary exposure.

In addition, IIS 6.0 is better suited than its predecessor as a development platform target. Along similar lines, our judges valued the integration of the .Net Framework in the product and lauded the operating systems expanded Web services capabilities.

Of particular interest to our judges were Windows Server 2003s changes to Active Directory—primarily, the allowance for cross- forest authentication and authorization, which makes it easier for business partners or colleagues within separate organizational units to share and maintain directory data and resources.

Our judges were also impressed with Windows Server 2003s Shadow Copies of Shared Folders feature, which allows for self-service fetching of file backups.

FINALISTS

BEA Systems Inc.s WebLogic Platform 8.1

BEAs WebLogic Platform 8.1 secured finalist standing in this years judging by integrating separate, strong BEA service components into a single platform.

We were impressed with the platforms portal component, which eWEEK Labs found in previous tests to include some of the best portlet and application development tools in any portal, in the form of WebLogic Workshop.

Sun Microsystems Inc.s Java Enterprise System

Suns Java Enterprise System, which rolls directory, Web, collaboration and application server products into an integrated whole, impressed our judges with the way it makes key services software simpler to purchase, install and maintain. In previous eWEEK Labs tests, we noted the speed with which a JES setup could be installed and configured, with a full complement of infrastructure services.

Our judges were intrigued by Suns JES pricing structure, which comes to $100 per employee per year and includes 13 service components. It also allows companies to provide services, such as access to project-specific portals and calendars, for partners and customers without additional cost.

Excellence Awards Winners and Finalists:

• Analytics & Reporting
• Application & Web Services Development
• Customer Relationship Management
• Portals & Knowledge Management
• Desktop & Handheld Hardware
• e-Business Foundations
• Enterprise Collaboration & Messaging
• Enterprise Storage
• IT Quality Assurance Tools
• Personal Productivity
• Server Hardware
• Networking & Management Tools
• Networking Infrastructure
• Authentication & User Management
• Enterprise Resource Protection