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IBM to Unveil More WebSphere Express Products in 2003

Analysis of News Events
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During the second half of this year, IBM's Software Group (SWG) will step up efforts to drive its WebSphere Express middleware into mid-market organizations. However, while the IBM division will undoubtedly experience successes with some of its Express solutions, it could fail to meet the needs of many mid-size companies with other products.

According to my sources inside IBM, SWG intends to update and expand its WebSphere Express family of middleware products during the third and fourth quarters of this year. Here is a quick rundown of WebSphere Express software announcements that IBM will likely make over the next six months.

  • WebSphere Application Server--Express (WAS Express). When IBM released the OS/400 version of this product back in February, it indicated that AIX, Solaris, and HP-UX versions were also in the works. It now looks like WAS Express will ship for these UNIX distributions around the middle of this year.
  • WebSphere Portal--Express. Today, Portal Express runs on WAS 4.0 on both Windows and Intel server distributions of Linux. During the third quarter of this year, SWG intends to unveil a Portal Express version that runs on WAS 5.0 (not WAS Express, but the full version) for Windows and Linux on Intel. IBM is also considering whether to offer an iSeries version of Portal Express and will likely make a decision on that front soon. Prices for Portal Express 4 should be similar to those charged for Portal Express 5.
  • WebSphere Commerce--Express. During the late third or early fourth quarter, IBM plans to roll out an Express version of WebSphere Commerce Suite, its e-commerce platform. Like WebSphere Portal Express, Commerce Express will run on the full version of WAS 5.0. It is not yet clear how IBM will price Commerce Express, nor whether the company will release an OS/400 version of the product. However, sources within the company indicate that prices could be similar to those IBM charges for WebSphere Commerce Professional Entry Edition. If IBM offers an iSeries version of Commerce Express at Commerce Professional price levels, it could cost around $20,000 per processor.
  • WebSphere Business Connection--Express. At present, this business-to-business commerce platform runs on Windows, AIX, and Solaris. While a Linux on Intel version could be in the works this year, there are no indications that IBM will ship an OS/400 edition..

In addition to its WebSphere Express announcements, IBM will also roll out two key middleware products for Linux running on the iSeries: WAS 5.0 (the full rather than the Express version) and DB2 Universal Database. Both products should ship during the third quarter.

WebSphere Express--Some Hits, Some Misses

The WebSphere Express program is a credible effort on IBM's part to make its Java-based middleware more accessible and affordable for the middle market. Among the Express products, WAS Express is faring particularly well because of its ease of use and reasonable price. In this analyst's opinion, however, most of the other Express products fall short of what the vast majority of mid-market firms can use and afford.

There are some simple reasons that WAS Express will gain widespread support while other Express products will fail to do so. Here are my top three reasons:

  • Application server complexity. While WAS Express utilizes a lightweight application server that supports JavaServer Pages (JSPs), other WebSphere Express products require standard editions of WAS that support the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specification. These standard editions--with their complicated programming models and management engines--are too difficult for most mid-market firms to use, not to mention too expensive.
  • Programming complexity. In addition, many WebSphere Express products are based on more robust platforms that have unique development environments. For instance, WebSphere Commerce Suite and WebSphere Portal have their own development environments that programmers must use in conjunction with Java development tools. IBM's Software Group is trying to engineer the programming complexity out of the Express versions of these products. However, it can only reduce the complexity; truly removing it would involve a complete rearchitecting of the products.
  • Integration complexity. As anyone who has deployed WebSphere Commerce Suite or WebSphere Portal knows, integrating the software with back-end systems can cost far more than the software itself. At Andrews Consulting Group, we regularly find cases in which integrating these products with existing systems requires 2,000 to 3,000 hours of consultant time. While Commerce Express and Portal Express could reduce these hours significantly, they will still require projects that generate six-figure bills from systems integrators.

In short, many of this year's WebSphere Express products will remain complicated and expensive enough to largely limit their appeal to a mid-market segment that I call "small enterprises": firms that have 1,000 to 5,000 employees. Based on IBM's market research, there are probably around 30,000 small enterprises in the world compared to around 500,000 mid-size companies with 100 to 999 employees. With the exception of WAS Express and the applications that developers build to this product, most of these mid-size companies will find WebSphere Express products to be far from the speedy, inexpensive solutions that their label implies.

If many of IBM's WebSphere Express products fall short of meeting the requirements of mid-size companies, you can be sure that some other vendor will fill the gap. I'll have more to say about IBM's middleware competition in future articles, so stay tuned.

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.
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