IBM issues an SOA laundry list

As part of a large rollout of service-oriented architecture (SOA)-focused products and services, IBM now has vertical-industry offerings that fall under the brand IBM WebSphere Business Services Fabric, and incorporate functionality from IBM's recent Webify acquisition with the existing WebSphere Process Server.

The integration will enable users to develop services starting with prebuilt templates, utilizing IBM's existing business process management (BPM) technology.

Among the highlights is WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (WSSR), which competes with similar offerings from BEA Systems and webMethods. By combining registry and repository, WSSR offers a single point where policies and specifications for services are entered at design time, and enforced during run time. This approach differs from BEA, which acquired a repository, but partners with Systinet for the registry.

Other highlights include a new version of WebSphere Business Monitor that eases detection of disruptive events; a new release of WebSphere Process Server that adds support for manual workflows such as approval, delegation, or escalation steps; and upgrades to the related Workplace Dashboard Framework, with new administration tools for creating dashboards.

Backing the new or enhanced BPM products are several new offerings from IBM Global Services, including a new BPM engagement methodology that will publish best practices and industry maps, and allow business partners to share expertise to create best practices.