BPM

BPM Butresses Security Best Practices

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:45:00 EST

Not only are today’s IT environments more complex than ever before, but the current economic climate is making it more difficult for IT organizations to easily and cost-effectively meet changing business requirements. What’s needed is a way for organizations to streamline business processes, increase efficiency, and empower business users -- rather than IT -- to be at the forefront of business-process change. In many cases, this is where a good business-process management (BPM) solution comes in. As part of a project with Active Endpoints, Upside Research, Inc. recently interviewed a national government security organization that had a critical need to manage the security of files exchanged among users, screening out malware, malicious code, and viruses. [Disclosure: Active Endpoints is a sponsor of BriefingsDirect podcasts.]

Adobe MAX 2009. First major release: LiveCycle Enterprise Suite 2

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EDT

Today, Adobe announced a major release of LiveCycle® Enterprise Suite 2 (ES2), an SOA architecture for automation of document processing, RIA, and process management. It’s an enterprise platform for SOA that brings together various technologies and tools including LiveCycle Data Services, Flex, Flash, Adobe Acrobat and more to deliver user centric applications.

SOA and BPM: It's the Business, Stupid

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:15:00 EST

After years of being admonished to focus on the business first, most IT execs still can't stop talking about the speeds/feeds, bugs/features, and bullet point aspects of their latest technology. They have to stop doing this.

The Missing 'Discovery' Link to Successful Business Process Management

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:30:00 EDT

Every organization is under pressure to deliver tangible business benefit through its IT projects. This point is illustrated by the fact that almost all IT projects are justified based on the ROI they will deliver. However, very few organizations follow up and review all projects based on the ROI they actually provided. While the reasons for this aren't clear, one compelling, well-documented statistic is that on average only one out of three IT projects will be successfully completed and deliver the ROI they promised.

Extracting UML from Legacy Applications

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:00:00 EDT

The operations of many large organizations rest on large applications that are characterized as 'legacy.' To increase flexibility or reduce costs businesses are looking to modernize these applications, for instance, via renovation, introducing an SOA architecture, or even re-implementing in a new environment. No matter which approach is taken, it's important to salvage as much knowledge and logic as possible from the legacy application. Unless the application's function is obsolete recovering functional knowledge (what does the application do?) and structural knowledge (how does it do it?) can accelerate the modernization effort.

Modeling Web Services Choreography with New Eclipse Tool

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:30:00 EST

Choreography is the dark continent of Web services: few onlookers have traveled there, and many question whether there are any riches to be brought home from the trip. In the first place, choreographies bear such a striking resemblance to business processes that the novice might think that the two types of artifacts are indistinguishable.

SOA/Web Services - Business Process Orchestration with BPEL

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 15:30:00 EST

Our journey began with our Department of Defense research projects when we saw an opportunity to solve our data management challenges with XML (http://xml.sys-con.com/read/40411.htm). The journey continued with the evolution of that work as it applied to exposing legacy data sources as XML through data-oriented Web services (http://xml.sys-con.com/read/45527.htm). We continue to build upon this foundation by broadening our service-oriented architecture (SOA) with these XML-enabled yet disjoint systems as we look to Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) to orchestrate their complex interactions.

The "B" in BPM Stands for Business

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:00:00 EDT

The use of the term BPM (business process management) is becoming increasingly confused as former EAI vendors claim BPM capability and the lines between BPM + SOA and ESB applications are blurred. This article will differentiate what is unique and distinct about BPM compared to other technologies such as EAI (enterprise application integration) and ESB (enterprise service bus), and it will also attempt to characterize what exactly constitutes a Business Process as opposed to an Application Integration, Web Service Orchestration, or Data Translation problem. All the while we will be remembering and focusing on the fact that the 'B' in BPM stands for Business.

Effective Business Process Management (BPM) Software Puts Business People in Control

Thu, 26 May 2005 12:00:00 EDT

Finally, executives on the business side of management teams are asking for technology that can be delivered, modified, and executed by business people. The promises of many enterprise application investments were never realized in large part due to the fact that the business side was disengaged from their IT investments, leading to large disconnects between expected capabilities and actual capabilities.

Service Orienting BPM

Thu, 26 May 2005 12:00:00 EDT

Business process management (BPM) is a business management philosophy consisting of the idea that a business can be understood and managed solely in terms of business processes. BPM is process-centric and responsive to change in business requirements and objectives. Businesses are defined through dynamic processes that change almost constantly.

BPM Theory for Laymen

Wed, 25 May 2005 16:00:00 EDT

In most software topics, the boundary between theory and practice in software is clearly demarcated: theory is for academics who seldom descend from the ivory tower, practice is for industry professionals who have long forgotten the concepts and application of theory. In concurrency, for example, most developers either know or have programmed semaphores, but few remember the conceptual underpinnings devised by Dijkstra.

Something Old & Something New

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT

As soon as new business applications roll out, someone is waiting to change them. Most application developers are resigned to this reality because they understand that business conditions change, and the applications that support key business processes have to change with them.

BPEL Unleashed

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT

BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) makes business processes and composite Web services first-class citizens of the Java and .NET platforms, while preventing vendor lock-in. The result is a drastic reduction in the complexity, delivery time, and cost associated with implementing workflow, BPM (business process management), and related business integration projects.

Closing the Deal with BPM

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Whether you're in a clothing store, a car dealership, or a bank's online catalog looking for low-interest loans, you're more liable to buy if you get some personal attention. You want someone to answer your questions in real time.

If Every Company Is Adopting Web Services...

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Like most companies, you want to streamline your business, automate manual processes, and expose key functionality to partners and customers. And like most companies, you probably have a mixture of applications and hardware - some new, some old.

Love Affair with Web Services Waning?

Mon, 08 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

The Component Based Development Forum, an analyst firm and think tank covering business software creation, reuse, and management, recently wrote, 'Service Orientation - So What?' They went on to explain,

A Roadmap for Web Services-driven BPM - Learning through example

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 00:00:00 EST

In previous issues of Web Services Journal (Vol. 3, issues 7 and 10) we discussed how Web services-driven BPM presents an opportunity for new types of business solutions and explored the challenges to Web services business process management (BPM). This month, we provide a roadmap for success.

Facing the Challenges of Web Services BPM

Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:27:52 EDT

In a previous article (Web Services Journal, Vol. 3, issue 7), we looked at business process management (BPM) driven by Web services and the opportunity it presents for new types of business solutions.

Business Process Automation

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Today's economy requires that businesses take a pragmatic approach to managing productivity and costs. The mandate is to optimize efficient processes throughout the organization. In the ongoing search to improve IT productivity, many companies are looking at business process management (BPM) as a means to increase productivity and extend system functionality without requiring rewrites of corporate policies and procedures.

Managing the Reach and Range of Your Business Processes

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Business processes reach across enterprises and partners, and require a range of complex functions. As the reach and range of your business processes increase, consider (a) moving these functions into an integration network, such as an enterprise service bus (ESB); and (b) recursively encapsulating your business processes as services. The resulting architecture is agile without redundant and confusing technology.

Twenty-First Century Business Architecture

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

While the vision of process management is not new, existing theories and systems have not been able to cope with the reality of business processes - until now. By placing business processes on center stage, as first class citizens in computing, corporations can gain the capabilities they need to innovate, reenergize performance, and deliver the value today's markets demand.

BPM to the Rescue

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

In one day, a CIO receives two dreaded e-mails from the CEO, who is acting under board pressure to change the company's fortunes. The first 'asks' for a revised IT budget reflecting a 15% cut for the rest of the year. The second calls for new ways of using IT resources to capitalize on missed customer revenue opportunities.

Using BPEL

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Web services technology is rapidly evolving to meet the complex needs of the enterprise customer. The ability to integrate and assemble individual Web services into standards-based business processes is an important element of the service-oriented enterprise and the overall Web service technology 'stack.'

Making Business Processes Manageable

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

What has surprised everyone in the past few years is how challenging it has been to actually do e-business. One of the reasons why this is so is that companies have found it difficult to manage their business processes, especially when they stretch across multiple systems, software applications, companies, and countries. That's about to change.

Web Services-Oriented Architecture:A Critical Technology

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

The Web has always been service-oriented. Services such as auctions or ticket-buying services are available today to general Web users. Essentially, what the Web did for interactions between business functions and their users, Web services will do for interactions between functions spread out across multiple business units or even across multiple businesses.

Real World WSFL

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Web services has promised many things. One primary promise has been the ability to piece applications together by snapping Web services together like so many Lego blocks. The output of one service becomes the input to the next and so on.

The Orchestration of Business Processes

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

As the usage of Web service interfaces grows, we're starting to see the emergence of some key sectors where Web services will make a huge impact. Much as Java found its sweet spot on the Web application server, Web services will find its own sweet spots. Grid computing and e-business 'building blocks' are two examples of Web services sweet spots. Another area where we see Web services as critical is Business Process Management (BPM).

Business Process Management & Web Services

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

The journey of business process management (BPM) from technologies such as document flow routing to service-oriented architecture (SOA)-based Web services has been a process of evolution rather than revolution.

Business Process Management: Tools for Eliminating Waste and Adding Value

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

In this uncertain global economy, many companies have pared resources to the point that they have driven employees to a level of frustration that few of us deem tolerable. Corporate executives and stockholders consistently want more: more revenues, more profitability, and 'more with less' from all departments. Yet, in trimming human resources to improve the bottom line, few companies examine their workflow to identify and eliminate extraneous processes or unnecessary roadblocks that would help maintain realistic objectives for employees, let alone enable an eight-hour workday.

The Seven Principles of Web Services Business Process Management

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

As Web services technology begins to impact business process management (BPM) and application-to-application integration, a question arises: 'What business and technical challenges will we face applying Web services technology to BPM and application integration?' This article presents the seven dominant principles of good Web services design. The principles are based on 15 years of software technology evolution, combined with practical experience from today's deployed Web services applications.

Web Services: Implications for Business Processes

Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

I love Web services, for all the things they can't do. It's not that I'm a pessimist, prone to look at the glass as half empty. Quite the contrary. Whenever I hear about Web services, I think about all the promises that won't be kept, and to me that looks like an opportunity to fill a void. Web services will undoubtedly create an avalanche of new development opportunities. By standardizing interfaces and protocols, we can provide a common way for applications to communicate and data to be transmitted.

Web Services' Impact on Business Process Management

Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:00:00 EST

Web services have been advertised as the one-size-fits-all solution for all sorts of integration problems. But like any other innovation in the software industry, Web services require a new generation of tools and infrastructure to help companies overcome the adoption hurdle and take full advantage of the business benefits this technology promises.

"Smart" BPM

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 EST

Companies have been looking for ways to open, or expose, key pieces of their enterprise applications to customers and partners since the Internet took off as a business tool. They want the efficiency, cost savings, and ability to conduct business around the clock that access to key applications offers.