Competitive Response Solutions
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Competitive Intelligence Spotlight

| Return to Page One |

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Competitive Intelligence Spotlight
 

    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: Very High
  Market Impact: Moderate

Vitria Leaps into the ESB Integration and SOA Market
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 23, 2007
With the introduction of Business Accelerator and an updated Resolution Accelerator optimized for SOA, Vitria is looking to cast off its heritage as a BPA vendor and become an ESB integration vendor with BPM and event processing capabilities.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: High

IBM Brings Quality Management to SOA Development
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 16, 2007
New functional and performance testing tools and professional services aimed at ensuring the quality of SOA software before deployment and reuse give IBM an edge in the SOA marketplace, but packaging deficiencies may hinder its market penetration.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Moderate

BEA Partners with CA on Identity and Access Management
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 13, 2007
BEA and CA are looking to imbue SOA solutions with improved identity and access management capabilities by tightening ties between CA SiteMinder and BEA’s AquaLogic and WebLogic, but a constrained go-to-market strategy limits opportunities.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Low

IONA Acquires C24, Adding Data Transformation for the Financial Sector and Beyond
Competitive Update | Mar 08, 2007
IONA grabs software vendor C24, adding data validation and transformation for the financial market to its Artix SOA solution. Similar rules-based data transformation for the company’s remaining vertical industries will follow.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: High

Cisco Moves into Middleware with Reactivity Acquisition
Competitive Intelligence Report | Feb 23, 2007
Cisco agrees to purchase XML Gateway provider Reactivity, moving its Service-Oriented Network Architecture initiative forward and positioning Cisco for expansion into the SOA marketplace as a provider of application aware network services.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: Moderate
  Market Impact: Low

BEA Systems Infuses SOA Suite with SEO-savvy E-commerce Solution
Competitive Update | Feb 23, 2007
BEA re-enters the e-commerce fray with AquaLogic Commerce Services, offering a complete solution featuring SEO support and pre-built promotional tools. However, deep integration within the BEA family of products awaits a future release.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Very High

Oracle Ships WebCenter Suite, Bridging Web 2.0 and SOA Services
Competitive Intelligence Report | Feb 14, 2007
Oracle leaps into the lead of the Web 2.0 race with the release of WebCenter Suite 10g R3 as SOA vendors look to identify and capitalize on community-driven, collaboration services. However, missing functionality across key services will leave room for the competition, at least temporarily.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Moderate

IBM Expands OSS Partner Program, Adding Freeware Database, DB2 Express-C
Competitive Update | Feb 09, 2007
IBM expands the already effective OSS partner program, adding freeware database, DB2 Express-C. However, the company will need a portal, BPM tools and perhaps an OSS database to compete within the OSS SOA market.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Moderate

HP Strengthens SOA Management Play with Acquisition of Business Process Monitoring Firm, Bristol Technology
Competitive Intelligence Report | Feb 07, 2007
HP agrees to acquire Bristol Technology, adding transaction processing to its new Business Technology Optimization offering, but the company will need to rationalize its products and review existing partnerships.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: Moderate

Lotusphere 2007: IBM Seeks to Build SOA for Humans with an Aggressive Portal Push and Web 2.0 Application Connectors
Show Update | Jan 26, 2007
With an aggressive portal push and collaboration application connectors to both Microsoft and IBM platforms, IBM has set the stage for SOA and Web 2.0 convergence, but competitors Microsoft, Oracle, and Sun are in a good position to compete.

Client Access
    Current Perspective: Positive
  Vendor Importance: High
  Market Impact: High

webMethods Strengthens SOA Suite with Fabric 7.0 Release
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jan 11, 2007
Strengthening its SOA suite leadership role, webMethods releases Fabric 7.0 to select customers this week, leveraging technologies from a number of recent acquisitions that focus on lifecycle governance as well as BPM and BAM convergence.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

SOA Software Closes the Loop on Policy Enforcement
Competitive Intelligence Report | Dec 07, 2006
SOA Software has announced the launch of an SOA governance product that connects policy rules with the run-time execution of policies to enable a larger degree of policy auditing than is available in many competing products.

Client Access

Oracle Makes Its SOA Suite an Actual SOA Suite
Show Update | Oct 24, 2006
Oracle releases the next version of its “SOA Suite.” This time it has a unified interface through its JDeveloper tool, and has brought in its SOA management and governance into the suite, making this more than a marketing bundle.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Iona Brings SOA Management Closer to Artix
Competitive Intelligence Report | Oct 11, 2006
Iona releases Artix 4.1. Although this is not as dramatic as the 4.0 release, the company is adding availability and tighter integration with SOA management, all of which bolsters the firm’s differentiators.

Client Access

IBM’s SOA Line
Competitive Intelligence Report | Oct 05, 2006
IBM rolls out new products—lots of them—under the banner of enabling SOAs. The registry and repository are the most interesting here, as are improvements in BPM. The company is challenged by too many products in too many product lines.

Client Access

Cordys Adds SOA Management to Suite
Competitive Update | Sep 28, 2006
ESB vendor Cordys inked an agreement with SOA Software that gives the vendor strong SOA management/governance functionality. Cordys is building up its suite rapidly, after announcing new BPM/interface tooling.

Client Access

BEA Unveils Ambitious SOA Plan
Competitive Intelligence Report | Sep 21, 2006
BEA unveils its SOA 360 Platform, WorkSpace 360 tooling, and its new MicroService Architecture. There are some worthwhile concepts in these plans, but the middleware provider is being sparse with actual product details at this stage.

Client Access

BEAWorld: BEA Updates the New and the Old
Show Update | Sep 21, 2006
BEA updates Tuxedo with a native Web Services stack, eliminating the need for Tuxedo users to install WebLogic Server, and releases a rev of its new repository with added platform support. The firm is working toward SOA-enabling its products.

Client Access

webMethods Buys SOA Governance Firm
Competitive Intelligence Report | Sep 13, 2006
webMethods purchases Infravio for $38 million and fills one of the last remaining holes in its SOA suite. Expect other vendors to build out SOA governance features, which are closely related to SOA management.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Amberpoint Scores Services
Competitive Update | Aug 30, 2006
Amberpoint releases a new version of its already mature SOA Management product. The scorecards and third party security integration will be useful. The firm is rightly focusing on alliances with middleware and integration vendors.

Client Access

BEA Makes Its Own SOA Repository Buy
Competitive Intelligence Report | Aug 25, 2006
Following webMethods’ purchase of Cerebra, BEA purchases Flashline and gets a head start in the SOA metadata repository market. The product will speed development and foster re-use - something SOAs had promised from the outset.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Oracle BPEL Process Manager, Oracle BPA Suite
Product Intelligence Report | Aug 24, 2006
Oracle’s BPM Solution is at the heart of its SOA Suite. The firm is melding internal BPEL-based tools with an OEMed third party product that provides modeling and simulation.

Client Access

webMethods Buys SOA Metadata Repository Vendor
Competitive Intelligence Report | Aug 22, 2006
webMethods purchases Cerebra for an undisclosed sum and gains metadata repository technology for its SOA “Fabric” platform.

Client Access

LogicBlaze Updates Open Source SOA
Competitive Update | Jul 31, 2006
LogicBlaze follows the launch of its open source SOA/ESB platform with an update that includes Eclipse tooling, security, and a new portal. The firm is right to concentrate on a unified Eclipse interface for disparate open source projects.

Client Access

HP Becomes SOA Player with Mercury Buy
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jul 27, 2006
HP purchased Mercury Interactive for $4.5 billion. The main effect on the application infrastructure market will be HP’s entry into SOA governance through its Systinet products. HP does not have a good record in creating emerging software markets.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

SOA Software Federates ESBs
Competitive Update | Jun 20, 2006
SOA Software re-branded its SOA management/governance suite as an “ESB Federation” and quickly incorporated the Blue Titan technology in an attempt to gain momentum in this emerging area. Still, the company needs to improve its Microsoft support.

Client Access

Infravio Seals Link to SOA Governance
Competitive Intelligence Report | May 03, 2006
Infravio releases a revision of its SOA registry and governance platform, and announces a group to enable interoperability between registries and “enforcement” products. Infravio has the right ideas, but may be too small to bring it together.

Client Access

LogicBlaze Takes on MySQL, Strengthens Open Source SOA
Competitive Intelligence Report | Apr 26, 2006
LogicBlaze adds MySQL to its open source SOA integration product, dubbed Fuse. Fuse is a milestone event in the integration market, even if the technology elements are immature at this point.

Client Access

Red Hat Buys JBoss in Middleware Play
Competitive Intelligence Report | Apr 12, 2006
Red Hat purchases open source middleware player JBoss for $350 million, ending speculation about who would grab this hot company. Although JBoss is growing rapidly, this is a big price tag for a company with a small revenue stream.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Sonic Updates Its ESB
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 29, 2006
Sonic announces the next version of its flagship ESB product. An Eclipse Workbench and more availability options enhance an already mature platform. The firm needs to incorporate Actional into its SOA suite more firmly in order to stay ahead.

Client Access

IBM’s Disjointed Approach to SOA Governance
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 22, 2006
IBM rolls out its SOA Governance strategy, which seems to be heavy on Rational style IT governance and light on products. One new promising offering, the Services Registry & Repository, needs integration with WebSphere and third-party products.

Client Access

SOA Software Declares Registry Independence
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 15, 2006
SOA Software makes moves to allow its SOA management and other software work with third party registries. This is a good move, considering the coming push by larger middleware vendors to push their registry and SOA governance stacks.

Client Access

IBM Channels SOA Brand onto Users
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 13, 2006
IBM announced a number of new channel programs designed to make SOA a sellable quantity. The company is far ahead in channel programs, but it needs to think about composite applications as it does battle with Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft.

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Software AG Sees crossvision as Key to Integration Market
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 01, 2006
Software AG releases crossvision, a rebranded and improved version of its integration products. Included are an SOA registry and an AJAX user interface tool, which give the firm some differentiators.

Client Access

Sonic Revs New SOA Management Product
Competitive Intelligence Report | Feb 27, 2006
Sonic releases a feature packed version of its Actional SOA management product, which includes the ability to monitor processes. The firm needs to integrate this with its ESB/SOA Suite at some level.

Client Access

iWay Expands into SOA Integration
Competitive Intelligence Report | Feb 06, 2006
iWay expands out of its adapter niche into the more general purpose SOA/ESB market with a new suite. The company is OEMing many parts of this suite, but it is building on its strengths in adapters and transformation.

Client Access

Progress Buys Actional, Adds SOA Management to Its Sonic Suite
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jan 19, 2006
Sonic purchases SOA management vendor Actional for $32 million. The merger of ESBs and SOA integration with at least some SOA management is inevitable due to the nature of what an SOA is (or is supposed to be).

Client Access
FREE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Read Now  

Composite Applications Get Muddied By Vendors
Advisory Report | Jan 04, 2006
Composite Applications form a new type of application development built on an SOA. However, the term has become muddied by vendors who want to sell their existing tools. Everyone would benefit by a tighter definition of the term.

Client Access

Top

 

Free Reports from the SOA Archives

Current Analysis reports on SOA more than two years old are offered for viewing at no cost.

Progress Adds Host Integration to Its SOA Arsenal
Competitive Intelligence Report | Dec 22, 2005
Progress bought mainframe integration vendor NEON and it plans to add the technology to its DataDirect products. Although not exactly a growth market, this will give Sonic a more complete arsenal to do battle against integration vendors.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

SOA Software Takes Registries to Mainframe World
Competitive Intelligence Report | Dec 07, 2005
SOA Software was one of the first to market with a UDDI 3.0 registry product. Now it wants to expand into Cobol/CICS Web Services. The firm is drifting a bit from a hot area where it had clear differentiators.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

webMethods Weaves Rules Into Fabric
Competitive Intelligence Report | Nov 17, 2005
At its user conference webMethods adds to its Fabric with new vertical applications and a rules engine. The firm is transitioning to SOA style of integration with a differentiator in BAM.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Fiorano Delves Deeper into SOA Integration
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Nov 14, 2005
Fiorano consolidated its JMS and ESB products into its SOA 2006. The firm is hitting the market with an ESB at the right time, but it needs sturdier differentiators or a more aggressive marketing effort to stand out from the pack.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Microsoft Plans Novel Pricing on BizTalk 2006
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Nov 08, 2005
Microsoft launches BizTalk 2006 for the second time and announces a plan to include application adapters with the product at a slightly higher price. This builds on the firm’s advantage in pricing, but more vision on SOAs is needed.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM Accelerates SOA Adoptions Through DataPower Purchase
Competitive Intelligence Report | Oct 19, 2005
IBM’s WebSphere division purchases DataPower, a maker of so- called “SOA acceleration” hardware. This puts a check on Cisco and other network equipment vendors thinking of moving into middleware.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM Lays SOA Foundation
Competitive Intelligence Report | Sep 14, 2005]
IBM announced a slew of SOA services and products, including its SOA Foundation. This includes both an ESB and its WebSphere Process Server, as well as other products marginally related to an SOA infrastructure.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IONA, Sybase Add SOA Tools to Eclipse
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Sep 13, 2005]
IONA and Sybase back a new Eclipse project for SOA Tooling. Although SOA tooling isn’t yet clearly defined, the new spec will help legitimize this as a new category, separate from traditional integration and application development/server tools.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

BEA Dresses Tuxedo Up For SOA
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jul 19, 2005]
BEA ships out the latest version of Tuxedo. In addition to bread and butter management and performance improvements, the company is making it easier to include Tuxedo applications in an SOA.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

TIBCO Prepares for SOAs and ESBs with Matrix
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jun 30, 2005]
TIBCO announced an implementation of the JBI framework that appears to be an answer to ESBs and SOA integration products. The company recognizes the need for a discrete product and it is shifting to see opportunities here, not just threats.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Sun Gets Head Start on SOA Registry
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Jun 21, 2005
Sun announces early access to its Service Registry, a combined UDDI/ebXML registry of services. This could be a platform for controlling and managing services in an SOA. However, ebXML 3.0 repository has not yet gained universal acceptance.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM Makes Strides Toward SOA
Competitive Intelligence Report | May 13, 2005
IBM makes a number of announcements at its SOA Summit, including an OEM deal with Lawson, and new services and guides to help customers make the transition to an SOA. IBM needs to fill in products to help realize its SOA vision.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Vendors, Users Must Embrace BPEL -- Warts and All
Advisory Report | May 10, 2005
With the release of BPEL 2.0 into draft, there is evidence that the industry is coalescing around this standard. Vendors and users must address its deficiencies now in order to fulfill its promise as the “glue” holding together services in an SOA.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Infravio Registers Itself in SOA Management Space
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Apr 20, 2005
Infravio releases a new version of its SOA management product that relies on an UDDI directory as an organizing force. This follows the trend of other vendors who are tapping UDDI for much more than just service discovery.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

webMethods Tightly Weaves Fabric for Business Applications
Competitive Intelligence Report | Apr 18, 2005
webMethods’ Fabric 6.5 more closely links its integration, BPM, BAM, and SOA management functions and appeals to users building business applications, not just infrastructure. The company must walk a fine line to reach two disparate customers.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

SOA Software Provides Window into Services Management
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Apr 04, 2005
SOA Software improves its Web Services Management product, purchased from Flamenco, with a new dashboard. The firm has a number of differentiators, particularly its UDDI-based approach and its IBM-Tivoli integration.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IONA Hits Right Niche with Artix 3.0
Competitive Intelligence Report | Mar 22, 2005
IONA ships the latest version of its ESB product, Artix 3.0, with features for availability and extensibility. The product maps nicely into the needs of large firms who want an alternative to traditional integration technology for building SOAs.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM’s SOMA Bridges SOAs and IT
Competitive Intelligence Report | Jan 27, 2005
IBM’s consulting arm issues a new service that aims to help users build SOAs that align with business goals and IT realities. The service ultimately helps IBM sell more WebSphere Business Integration (WBI) products into larger accounts.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM Gives SOAs a CICS
Competitive Intelligence Brief | Dec 01, 2004
IBM touts a new version of its CICS tools that includes easier buildout of Web Services and/or JCA adapters. While this helps the firm with its SOA market message, the company needs more tie-ins to its WBI product and its BPM tools.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Actional Adds XML Security to SOA Management
Competitive Update | Oct 22, 2004
SOA management pure play Actional Corporation merges with WestBridge, a maker of XML security software and appliances. The combination of XML security and Web services management is plausible, but both markets are currently small.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Java One: Sun Gives Lift to Kitty Hawk Plan for SOA Enablement
Show Update | Jun 30, 2004
Sun rolls out Kitty Hawk, its SOA enablement plan. The roadmap includes new technologies to be put into its JES middleware platform, as well as professional services. The plans, however, remain vague and some elements are a year or so away.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

AmberPoint Maps Dependencies with New Release
Competitive Update | Jun 22, 2004
SOA management vendor AmberPoint releases a new version with dependency mapping and service discovery. Neither of these features is new to the market, but the company is keeping up with others and positioning itself well.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Actional Broadens Services in SOAs
Competitive Update | Jun 17, 2004
Actional releases an update to its SOA management platform, including the ability to monitor non- SOAP/XML Services. This gives users the flexibility to redefine what a service is, and adds to an already comprehensive SOA management product.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

webMethods Develops ESP
Competitive Update | Jun 07, 2004
webMethods announces Enterprise Services Platform, a combination of its flagship integration product and the new “Fabric” SOA management product. The firm has not yet taken steps to integrate these two products together.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

The Perils Of Composite Applications
Advisory Report | Jun 04, 2004]
Composite applications riding on top of SOAs are being touted as the answer to everything that ails the applications environment today. However, this cure could create side effects in the form of a management nightmare.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

BEA Delves Into Emerging World of SOA Management and ESBs
Competitive Intelligence Report | May 27, 2004
BEA rolls out a new process product and reveals plans for QuickSilver, an ESB (enterprise service bus) offering with some SOA management features. The company is breaking new ground, but needs to refine the feature set a bit.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

BEA Bets on Beehive to Create Buzz in Open Source World
Competitive Update | May 20, 2004
BEA launches Beehive, a framework for SOAs, and puts the architecture out into the open source community. The move is a calculated risk that an open source product will popularize BEA’s architecture and ultimately drive users to WebLogic.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

IBM Lays Foundation for Final Integration Convergence Push
Competitive Intelligence Report | Apr 21, 2004
IBM releases WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation and a plan to help companies build SOAs. The company’s converged integration platform is proceeding slowly, while competitors have in some cases moved rather quickly.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Infravio Sets SOA Management On Collision Course with Integration Market
Competitive Intelligence Report | Nov 19, 2003
Infravio releases an SOA management suite that includes contract- based software and infrastructure elements traditionally provided by integration players. The company’s small size will be an impeding factor.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Actional Improves SOA Management with .Net Support
Competitive Update | Nov 18, 2003
Actional ports its SOA management products to .Net, allowing a central point of management for .Net and Java Web Services. Most competitors in this emerging space, however, either already have this support or will soon acquire it.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Integration World 2003: webMethods Weaves Web Services Fabric
Show Update | Oct 31, 2003
webMethods touts itself as a Web Services Infrastructure company and displays its new unreleased SOA management Fabric product as a proof point. The product has some innovative concepts behind it and a large potential scope.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

Commerce One Matures Composite Application Platform
Competitive Update | Oct 20, 2003
Commerce One quickly updates its new Conductor platform. The maturing platform is hitting the market at a good time as customers are more educated about setting up SOAs and building composite applications.

Client Access
FREE FULL REPORT Read Now  

webMethods Makes Trio of Acquisitions
Competitive Intelligence Report | Oct 16, 2003
webMethods buys three firms and prepares t