WebSphere Family

WebSphere Family

Middleware and Developer Tool

WebSphere was launched as a response to a growing industry concern that a number of aoftware systems and platforms developed by companies over time hardly integrate with each other slowing down workflow and access to information. WebSphere was created to address this demand and implement an idea of application middleware, which became possible after creating a concept of Java as a cross-platform programming language.

Target Market:

IBM WebSphere product family is used to address customer’s software development and infrastructure needs in:

• Application Servers

• Business Integration

• E-Commerce

• Access to the enterprise application via mobile or voice

• Networking

• Organization Productivity and Collaboration

• System Management

 Components:

In a nutshell, WebSphere is based on J2EE technology and used to integrate legacy software and enable it to the web, providing single web interface for customers and/or corporate users. It is composed of the server software and development tools for web site developers and application developers. It also includes extensions for specific customer’s needs like commerce sites, enterprise portals or cross-business solutions. 

• WebSphere Application Server  

• WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation (WBISF)

• WebSphere Portal

• WebSphere Commerce

• WebSphere Enterprise Process Choreographer

• WebSphere MQ Workflow

• WebSphere Transcoding Publisher

• DB2 Content Manager

• Web Services Gateway

On IBM web site you can search for WebSphere software by product name or within the product family, but one can also select the need (category) like business integration or online commerce, and will be referred to all related IBM software from WebSphere, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational families.

 Known Issues:

+ Complex and difficult to install and configure

Competitors:

• BEA WebLogic

• JBoss

• Oracle 9i [application server]

• Microsoft's .NET Framework, coupled to Windows 2000 Server and IIS

• SAP (portal)

• Tibco (integration)

• WebMethods (integration)

* The free WebSphere Studio toolset plug-in works with WebLogic 6.1 and 7.0.