webMethods Weaves Rules Into Fabric
Type: Competitive Intelligence Report
Analyst: S. Willett
Report Date: November 17, 2005
Module: Application Infrastructure
ID: CIR20983 |
Current Perspective: Positive
Vendor Importance: Moderate/High
Market Impact: Low/Moderate |
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Summary
Event Summary
November 17, 2005 -- webMethods, Inc. announced a strategic partnership and licensing agreement with Fair Isaac Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, webMethods will incorporate components of Fair Isaac Blaze Advisor as the embedded rules engine standard for future editions of webMethods Fabric, the company's flagship solution for process-based, service-oriented total business integration. The announcement was made in conjunction with Integration World 2005, the webMethods user conference being held this week in Atlanta.
Analytical Summary
• Current Perspective: Positive on webMethods’ announcements at its user conference, including vertical process solutions and an OEMed rules engine, as the company is enhancing its Fabric suite and moving to target vertical areas where it has an expertise and technical features for a credible solution.
• Vendor Importance: Moderate to high to webMethods as the firm needed to build on its Fabric SOA Integration suite, with process solutions and other enhancements in order to build differentiation within its target markets.
• Market Impact: Low to moderate on the market as most competitors are already taking action in the rules arena, and the new vertical solutions will only add the need for more detailed solutions that include BAM in these areas.
Target Markets
B2B Communities, End Users, Global 2000, Global Carriers, Large Enterprises, Systems Integrators, Third Party Implementers, Web Portals
Perspective
Current Perspective: Positive
We are taking a positive stance on webMethods’ announcements at its user conference, which include a new OEMed rules engine, new vertical process solutions, and future plans for registry, simulation, and other features.
webMethods, like other integration vendors, is transitioning from traditional “proprietary” integration to a standards-based SOA style of integration, based on clear user moves to SOAs. The problem is that moving to completely standards-based models based on WS-* standards is not possible right now. The hundred or so relevant WS-* standards are just not ready yet. Users will need to use traditional brokers, which are semi-standards-based (depending on how you count JMS), as well as some traditional adapters and other tools in order to accommodate mission critical operations. That doesn’t mean, however, that no new technology is needed to accommodate SOAs. Since SOAs assume distributed services that are running on disparate platforms, this implies some management and control is necessary to ensure proper operation of any integration related application. Thus, webMethods’ inclusion of SOA management in the form of its ServiceNet is a definite positive for the company. Process tools, both for orchestration of services and for building composite applications that will run on SOAs is also a necessity, although at this point most vendors have accounted for this need through products or partnerships. The firm’s BAM functionality, which is well integrated into its process, SOA management, and integration is also a positive. Although not directly related to SOAs, it is a differentiator for the composite applications that will run on top of SOAs.
The firm is attempting to build on Fabric, with an OEM deal for a rules engine from Fair Isaac. While this is not a new feature in the industry, it brings Fabric up to the level of Microsoft, and Oracle. In general, this will provide a better rules interface and a central repository of rules, which could encapsulate business logic. The centralized locale will mean less development time, and more flexible rules. The firm also announces two new vertical process solutions, the first of which is its Demand Fulfillment Monitoring solution for manufacturers. The solution builds on the firm’s B2B, integration, BAM, and BPM products to automate and measure processes around fulfillment. The firm is pre-defining 20 to 30 metrics as well as presenting likely process and dashboard templates around supply chain processes and issues relating to demand chain and order management. Its new Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) solution similarly taps BPM, BAM, and workflow functionality to gather and measure “demand signals,” mainly from retailers. These are differentiated by BAM, and by webMethods’ expertise in this particular area. Also at its user conference, the firm announced strategic directions around its Fabric platform. This includes product plans for an expanded registry/repository, BPM simulation, and the ability to better monitor SAP NetWeaver services.
webMethods, however, is not new to the rules space and by the time this capability is fully integrated into Fabric, in late 2006, most other vendors will likely have it. webMethods’ two new process solutions depend on logistics and warehouse management systems, which webMethods doesn’t control and which fall outside the purview of what can be automated through webMethods BPM. The company should work on better visibility and possible introspection of processes in these two areas. In general, the firm should hit harder on SLAs and avoidance of penalties around late shipments, returns, etc. with pre-built executive dashboards centered around SLA compliance and penalty avoidance. In terms of the longer range plans, the firm will have to fill in the details and better differentiate registry and BPM simulation features. It should more aggressively go after SOA governance as a differentiator.
webMethods’ moves should cause competitors to move BAM more into the mainstream of their integration and BPM products. Having a separate BAM product may simply be too much set up and cost for some customers. The firm’s SOA management is another feature that should cause a reaction among competitors. In the new “SOA Style” of integration, the fact is that services will be running on someone else’s platform, which presents a challenge to mission critical applications. A way to mediate and manage these services will be a crucial integration problem, not just a systems management problem.
Positives and Concerns
Competitive Positives
• At its user conference, webMethods announces it has inked an agreement to OEM the Blaze rules engine from Fair Isaacs. It plans to integrate the product with its BPM and its integration platform in general. This gives webMethods an abstracted rules engine, callable from points on a process or elsewhere. In general, this will provide a better rules interface and a central repository of rules, which could encapsulate business logic. The centralized locale will mean less development time, and more flexible rules. webMethods catches up with others in the industry with abstracted rules capability, including Microsoft, Oracle, and others who have OEMed or linked to third party engines.
• The firm also announces two new solutions, the first of which is its Demand Fulfillment Monitoring solution for manufacturers. The solution builds on the firm’s B2B, integration, BAM, and BPM products to automate and measure processes around fulfillment. The BAM and portal product can provide KPIs, alerts, and reports to ensure that these operations are meeting the demands of retailers. The Workflow product provides an avenue for exception handling. The firm is pre-defining 20 to 30 metrics as well as presenting likely process and dashboard templates around supply chain processes and issues relating to demand chain and order management. This is a well targeted solution that plays into webMethods’ expertise and customer base in manufacturing.
• The firm also announced a Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) solution. Similar to the Demand solution, it taps the BPM, BAM, and workflow functionality to gather and measure “demand signals,” mainly from retailers. The company will again provide some pre-built suggested dashboards and processes that can help match demand signals (how a certain promotion is selling, for example) with inventory and manufacturing activity. Its PIM product, licensed from GXS, can also play a role in S&OP. The solution includes alerts and graphical representations of activities, and possible process related actions that can be taken to remedy a particular problem. This is one of four solutions, each of which is well targeted and supported by webMethods.
• At its user conference, the firm announced strategic directions around its Fabric platform. In general, the company plans to transition this to more of an SOA Integration type of product with support for an expanded registry/repository, as well as upgrades to its SOA management offering to more easily monitor SAP NetWeaver services. It also plans more software development type of features and practices such as repositories, source code control, and better rich user interface tools. This is crucial as more business logic is transferred to the SOA composite application layer. The roadmap helps users make buying decisions around webMethods.
• The company also plans upgrades to its BPM, which is fast become a key entry point for Fabric. Following the lead of pure plays, it will add better simulation capabilities, as well as integration with the Blaze rules engine. It will build on its differentiator of having an easy to configure BAM capability that goes hand in hand with configuring points on a process. These improvements will be in the next major release scheduled for late 2006.
Competitive Concerns
• webMethods is not new to the rules space and will not have the rules capability fully integrated into Fabric until late in 2006. Vendors such as Microsoft have come out with abstracted rules engines, while others have licensed ILOG to provide this capability. Oracle has OEMed technology from Sandia Labs. By the time Blaze is integrated with Fabric, it will not be much of a differentiator as others rush to provide abstracted rules functionality.
• webMethods’ two new process solutions, like all solutions in this area, provide only a small amount of pre-built code and a large amount of customization. Due to the idiosyncratic nature of processes and use cases, users will likely need a fair amount of consulting and professional services to actually build a working application from this solution. These solutions do improve on previous solutions from industry players that were too general and next to useless for users.
• Key elements of these two solutions will depend on logistics and warehouse management systems, which webMethods doesn’t control and which fall outside the purview of what can be automated through webMethods BPM. Also, meeting SLAs from partners for shipments, returns, etc., and avoiding resulting penalties is a major driving force for automating processes; however, the company doesn’t seem to be hitting this hard enough with pre-built dashboards and other functionality.
• webMethods will deliver simulation later than smaller pure plays, and its registry strategy tracks closely to plans by other vendors. Both will depend on the particulars of the finished product for differentiation. The firm has an advantage in integrated SOA management, but is not aggressively touting SOA governance as a differentiator at this point. The firm only partially responded to the threat posed by SAP and Oracle who plan to move into the integration or “SOA Integration” space aggressively.
Recommended Actions
Recommended Vendor Actions
• The firm should begin reselling the Blaze rules engine right away, as it can be integrated into its BPM tool via Web Services without much additional integration.
• The firm should continue with a limited number of detailed solutions in its core areas of manufacturing, supply chain, and government spaces. It should ensure it has the expertise in terms of consulting and professional services to support these solutions.
• The firm should build specialized adapters into key logistics applications and should even consider including the GXS logistic application in its two new solutions. The same should be done for inventory management systems. It should hit harder on SLAs and avoidance of penalties around late shipments, returns, etc. with pre-built executive dashboards centered around SLA compliance and penalty avoidance.
• The firm seems to be on the right track with its registry and simulation. It needs to differentiate these, however, as major vendors are all planning features in these areas. Ease of use, and integration with its SOA management functionality could be differentiators. More realistic “what if” simulations are also a possibility, instead of general animations that are considered “nice to haves” by customers.
• The firm should push harder on SOA governance, including governance on proliferating processes as a differentiator in its product development and marketing activities.
Recommended Competitor Actions
• Competitors should include BAM more intrinsically in their integration, BAM, SOA management, and integration server products. Having a separate product, with separate, difficult set up, could be a negative for some users.
• Competitors in the integration and “SOA Integration” spaces should consider general SOA management in their products, as operation of SOA integration will involve knowledge and some control over services not running on their platform.
• Competitors in the SOA Integration and application infrastructure spaces should consider a UDDI 3.0 registry and repository for items relating to services, as a key organizing force and management force for distributed SOAs.
• Competitors in the BPM space should consider more useful simulation capabilities.
Recommended End User / Customer Actions
• End users should consider webMethods Fabric as a viable “SOA Integration” platform due to SOA management, process tools for SOA-based composite applications, and strong messaging to connect services together.
• In general, users should welcome abstracted, centralized rules engines as time savers for developers and a way to better control business logic.
• Users, however, should plan to use more WS-* standards as they mature, including those for messaging, policy, and notification. While these won’t eliminate the need for brokers and adapters any time soon, they will allow for more standards-based products, and less proprietary looking products and solutions.
• Users should attempt to get a more detailed roadmap from webMethods on its plan for a registry, repository, simulation, and expansion of SOA management.
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