SSA joins IBM in delivering SOA-enabled solution on blades

By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 6/1/2006 12:00:00 AM MDT

SSA Global and IBM will deliver a new version of SSA ERP LN that includes a full server and middleware stack using efficient blade services and taking advantage of Web services technologies.

Specifically, the joint offering bundles these elements:

SSA ERP LN on IBM blade servers;
A middleware and platform stack that includes WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, IBM WebSphere Application Server, and IBM DB2; and
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell.

According to Rick Bernard, VP of solutions management, SSA developed roughly 100 Web services exposing the ERP LN system. Examples include Business Partner, Sales Order, Purchase Order, Production Bill of Material, and Outbound Advice and Carrier. These services can be orchestrated with related business tasks such as Approve Order, Credit Check, and Calculate Price.

The system also takes advantage of a platform that until now has been associated mostly with Web and high-performance computing farms based on the economies of scale it offers. Blade server platforms reduce costs through compact form factors and a design that pools common components like fans, power supplies, and cabling. In turn, Linux is known for its low cost of ownership.

By bundling a service-oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure, customers can integrate applications using Web services standards such as WSDL and SOAP, or through Java or Microsoft .NET interfaces. To help customers who are unfamiliar with SOA architectures implement the new bundled offering, IBM Global Business Services offers implementation support, and is developing "SOA starter" engagements.

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