Enterprise software

Will Java spec shake up integration market?

Out of the dizzying number of Java standards, the newly minted Java Business Integration specification stands out as one which could upset the status quo of the multi-billion dollar integration software market.

Also known as JSR 208, the Java Business Integration (JBI) specification was finalized last week. It defines a way to write Java programs--specifically meant to integrate different systems--which can run in other JBI-compliant servers.

Sun, for one, is jumping on JBI as a way to push into the integration software market: it intends to write a standards-based integration server, called an enterprise service bus, based on the specification … Read more

Report: Salesforce stumbles in Cisco deal

A research report issued by investment bankers JMP Securities on Thursday sheds unflattering light on Cisco Systems' efforts to utilize hosted applications provided by Salesforce.com.

According to the JMP publication, Cisco has changed the terms of its licensing deal with Salesforce because the networking giant has not been able to move as many employees as it had planned onto Salesforce's online customer relationship management tools. JMP said that Cisco purchased a license during the second half of 2004 to establish 10,000 Salesforce subscriptions by June 2005. However, the report contends that Cisco asked Salesforce to re-work its … Read more

Cisco's AON: another platform play

Some people have wondered why Cisco entered the market for messaging through its own research and development investments, rather than buy an existing XML networking company. The reason, according to Cisco Chief Technology Officer Charles Giancarlo, has more to do with Cisco's ambitions than the potential acquisition price.

"We didn't feel that any of the companies has the kind of platform we want to build and we thought it was a fairy new market so didn't need to acquire somebody, " said Giancarlo. "Secondly, all of those companies are very focused on it XML and … Read more

Strong opinions on Cisco's AON launch

Cisco's new AON business unit has tech companies of all stripes on alert. That's not surprising given that Cisco is proposing that tasks usually handled by middleware or XML acceleration appliances be done in Cisco's own routers.

As Loosely Coupled blogger Phil Wainewright points out, the full significance of Cisco's AON launch is still being digested.

"Despite the lack of buzz and advance fanfare surrounding AON's debut, a swathe of vendors and their customers in the SOA (service-oriented architecture) market will be watching very, very closely," Wainewright writes.

On Tuesday at its Networkers … Read more

Dave's Way

PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield has seen his Safety Net provide protection for a number of his former employees. The benevolent enterprise software founder, who sold his beloved company to Oracle earlier this year, has seen a number of former PeopleSoft employees tap into his kindness.

Duffield's Safety Net, which he endowed with $10 million, has doled out a total of $800,000 to date to former PeopleSoft employees who have fallen on hard times and have not yet found a new job, according to the New York Times.

While the grants are as much as $10,000 per former … Read more

Oracle snaps back at SAP

In the latest salvo thrown in the increasingly confrontational battle to control the enterprise software sector, Oracle on Tuesday introduced a program aimed at enticing customers of rival SAP to migrate to its products.

The Oracle program, boldly labeled as its "OFF SAP" initiative (Oracle Fusion for SAP), mirrors the multiple efforts created by SAP specifically to lure Oracle customers as the database giant works to digest its massive acquisition spree. The company's buyout binge included swallowing large enterprise software rivals PeopleSoft and J.D. Edwards in one gulp, as well as smaller companies such as retail specialist Retek. … Read more

BEA's "Switzerland" play

Convention wisdom among many pundits is that BEA Systems will ultimately be marginalized by the industry heavy-weights with more resources, market clout and broader product lines. Not surprisingly, BEA sees things differently.

The Java server software company on Thursday launched AquaLogic, a new product line meant to revive sales at the company and broaden its audience beyond the Java programmer crowd. The product introduction in New York on Thursday is part of an overall company re-branding strategy, which chief marketing officer Marge Breya called "tasteful" and "Apple-esque."

The idea behind AquaLogic is compelling: technical professionals can … Read more

Siebel investors get their say

Siebel Systems' directors avoided a potential coup on Wednesday when the efforts of some investors to oppose the re-election of several board members, including company Founder and Chairman Tom Siebel, fell short of succeeding.

However, after executives from the enterprise software maker finished their presentation at the company's annual shareholder meetings, during which they denied losing ground to rivals such as SAP and Salesforce.com and said the firm has increasing growth potential as the market for enterprise software rebounds, investors got their chance to weigh in.

During a question and answer session moderated by George Shaheen, Siebel's … Read more

Will Microsoft's business apps platform pay off?

Even in the business applications market, Microsoft is pinning its success on developers.

Over the past five years, the company has built up Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) by acquiring a handful of application providers which target small to medium-size companies.

If the move was meant to provide rapid revenue growth, it hasn't worked out that way so far. The business unit pulled in about $550 million in revenue over the first three quarters, ended March 31, 2005, of Microsoft's fiscal year. During that nine-month period, it posted a loss of $125 million and revenue growth is in the … Read more