IBM Boosts IntegrationIBM Boosts Integration

IBM strengthened its integration technology lineup Tuesday by expanding its line of WebSphere Business Integration Adaptors for specific vertical markets and for IBM and non-IBM systems. IBM executives were quick to contrast the company's emphasis on integrating disparate systems and applications with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's efforts to make his company a one-stop IT shop through acquisitions—highlighted by Oracle's move last week to buy application rival PeopleSoft Inc.

While refusing to specifically comment on Oracle's bid for PeopleSoft, Steve Mills, senior VP and group executive of the IBM Software Group, said it's "absurd" for any vendor to claim—as Ellison has done—that it can provide customers with all their software needs. "It's a pretty naive position for [Ellison] to take. I don't think anyone buys into it," Mills said Tuesday at a press briefing in New York. Few companies have an IT environment that isn't made up of software from multiple vendors, he said.

One such business is Safelite Glass Corp., which follows a "best-of-breed" strategy when buying applications. The provider of replacement auto glass and insurance-claim processing services uses IBM's WebSphere software to integrate applications from Baan, Oracle, Siebel Systems, and other vendors. Speaking at the IBM briefing, Dan Vaught, Safelite's manager of enterprise architecture and integration, said his company considered the idea of an all-Oracle architecture, but some of Oracle's applications "didn't meet our needs."

Tuesday's announcements are part of IBM's On-Demand initiative to provide integration technologies for people, processes, and information. That includes the DB2 Information Integrator software that began shipping last month and the recently unveiled Lotus Workplace packages that combine IBM's WebSphere Portal with collaboration, messaging, and workflow applications from IBM's Lotus business unit.

While the software industry appears poised to undergo some consolidation, Mills expects customer demand for integration to continue. IT executives are focusing on achieving "a much better bottom-line return through efficiency [and] more effective use of information technology," he said, and integration is a critical element of that.

IBM revealed new WebSphere Business Integration Adaptors, available in July, which companies can use to automate business processes by connecting mainframe software, packaged applications, industry-specific protocols, and E-business technologies. Some of the new adaptors are for vertical markets, including the energy and utility, health care, automotive, and electronics manufacturing industries. Others are for specific systems, including IBM's iSeries and Lotus Domino products, products from other vendors such as Computer Associates' IDMS database and Microsoft Exchange, and industry-standard protocols such as Component Object Model and Corba.

IBM also unveiled WebSphere MQ Extended Security Edition for implementing security policies across messaging environments to protect sensitive transactions.