04
Mon, Nov
5 New Articles

IBM Prepares a New Roadmap for Its Middleware

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Next year, IBM will be selling software that looks dramatically different than it does today. That is because the IT vendor plans to ship new middleware packages that will help specific industries automate and integrate their business processes. At the same time, IBM will retrain thousands of its software sales representatives so that they focus more on vertical industries than on IBM's software brands.

Under the new strategy, IBM will roll out industry-specific software packages that combine middleware components from its DB2, Lotus, Rational, Tivoli, and WebSphere product lines. In a break with tradition, many of these packages will carry the names of the industries and business processes at which they are targeted instead of their software brand names. While the new packages will include middleware and process-specific programming interfaces, they will not provide the application logic needed to deliver a complete solution. That logic will come from independent software vendors (ISVs) who are IBM Business Partners.

Making Middleware "On Demand"

In many ways, IBM's new middleware roadmap is a logical outcome of its On Demand strategy. When IBM CEO Sam Palmisano announced that strategy a year ago, he set off a fundamental change in the nature of the company. Here is how I sum up that change. Before Louis Gerstner ran IBM, it was an IT product vendor. During the Gerstner era, it became an IT services vendor. Under Palmisano, it is becoming a business transformation vendor. This means that when IBM goes to market, it will lead with business transformation services first, not IT products or services. Of course, these business transformation services will drag plenty of IBM's IT products and services along with them. However, IBM will repackage those products and services to complement its business transformation focus. That is exactly what will happen to IBM's middleware products next year.

As IBM realigns its software behind business process transformation, customers can expect the company to focus heavily on particular business processes. Earlier this month, Ginni Rommety--IBM's Managing Partner for its Business Consulting Services (BCS)--told a room full of Wall Street analysts that organizations will spend $58 billion in 2004 to transform four major business process areas: customer care, human resources, financial management, and procurement. These are areas where IBM as a whole and Rommety's group in particular have considerable expertise, so it is highly likely that the company's new middleware packages will focus on these processes.

Besides focusing on business processes, IBM will also differentiate its middleware and services by industry. According to sources inside the company, initial middleware offerings will focus on twelve industries: automotive, banking, consumer packaged goods, electronics, financial markets, government, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, retail/wholesale, telecommunications, and utilities. If you work in one of these industries and face challenges in any of the business process areas listed above, chances are good that IBM's new middleware packages will be of interest to you.

A Roadmap for Change

If you are one of those interested parties, I have good news for you. Next month, IBM intends to kick off its new initiative by rolling out a dozen middleware packages for specific business processes. This first wave of offerings will be followed by many more packages over the course of 2004. In some cases, IBM will announce packages in concert with ISV applications that deliver complete solutions on top of the package. If you want a good example of what such a solution will look like, check out Lotus Workplace for Business Controls and Reporting. This offering will bring together DB2 Content Manager, WebSphere Portal Server, application logic from KPMG, and financial management consulting services from IBM's BCS. The solution will enable publicly held firms to comply with financial reporting practices mandated under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

While IBM is realigning its middleware by business processes and industries, it will also retrain many of its software specialists so that they can sell the new solutions. Indeed, sources inside IBM Software Group are saying that half of its brand-oriented sales force will receive industry-specific assignments and extensive training in industry business processes. As a result, thousands of Big Blue's software specialists will soon be promoting cross-brand business solutions instead of touting the particular advantages of DB2, WebSphere, or some other IBM product family.

In the months to come, IBM will also add industry enablement offerings to its existing ISV programs. These offerings will provide ISVs with the support they need to develop solutions on the new middleware packages and then bring them to market. As it recruits ISVs to develop on the new packages, IBM will pay special attention to vendors that focus on medium-size businesses. That will include ISVs that develop solutions for the iSeries.

In short, IBM will make 2004 the year when its software and IT services come together to promote a business vision that is bigger than both of them. In the process, it intends to bring its ISV partners along for the party. If the company succeeds in doing so, it could have a significant impact on the business processes of its customers. However, IBM's new middleware vision will not materialize overnight. It will take several years to retrain its sales force, bring new solutions to market with ISVs, and prove those solutions at customer sites. Along the way, IBM will learn many lessons and encounter numerous challenges. It will be interesting to see how it overcomes those challenges, and you can expect me to analyze its efforts in future issues.

Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LEE KROON
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: