As enterprise system aim for greater integration between applications and hardware, diligence must be paid to those applications that provide the backbone on which all other applications are supported. Mainframes continue to be the 'muscle' many large corporations rely on. In order for enterprise systems to utilize the full capabilites of their systems, in using mainframes integrated with applications, companies are lookign at various ways in which to intergrate their equipment and data.  

"The mainframe continues to provide a vital operational backbone in enterprise computing," commented Annrai O'Toole, CEO at Cape Clear Software, adding, "Any enterprise integration project must ensure that these valuable mainframe resources can participate as a first-class citizen in the enterprise."

To this end, Cape Clear Software and NEON Systems announced they are joining in an initiative to simplify the integration of mainframe applications and data, in enterprises using Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). The venture leverages integration specialties that each company is known for. 

NEON Systems' Shadow SOAP-based z/Services product, which transforms mainframe applications into Web Services and distributes them over a network, will be tightly woven with Cape Clear's Enterprise Services Bus (ESB). Cape Clear 5, as the company's flagship ESB is called, enables the rapid integration of applications and data assets, so that developers can quickly build new services that take into account new configurations that are created when items are added into IT environs. 

Mark Cresswell, president and CEO, NEON Systems said, "Organizations seeking economic success within enterprise integration projects are increasingly turning to Enterprise Service Buses as core infrastructure components. For large enterprises, this success demands service-oriented interoperability between ESBs and the stalwart of commercial computing-the mainframe." 

He commented that NEON and Cape Clear's collaborative service provides a low-cost and low-risk solution to enterprises that need the extended reach into networks that only ESB's can offer. 

Cape Clear CEO O'Toole, complimenting Creswell's statements, said, "NEON Systems enables you to quickly integrate the mainframe and then deliver a range of services that fit seamlessly within the ESB infrastructure. The combination of Cape Clear and NEON Systems maximizes the benefits of any existing mainframe applications inside the enterprise and out across the Internet with customers and business partners."