SUMMARY

The vendors are numerous, and the standards and technology are shifting rapidly along with the multitude of Web services standards. In this chapter, we have tried to illustrate how the categories of tools and applications might fit into an organization’s systems architecture and application portfolio. Based on the initial adoption phases identified in the Web services adoption model, the power positions in the Web services value chain will likely be held by four major vendor categories:

1. Platform Vendors —such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun, and Hewlett-Packard

2. Enterprise Software Vendors —such as SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and Siebel

3. EAI Vendors —such as WebMethods, TIBCO, Vitria, and SeeBeyond

4. Application Server Vendors —such as BEA, IBM, and Oracle

As discussed, the high-level analysis of the vendors in this chapter is not a definitive prediction of which categories and vendors will be the winners or losers in the battle for the Web services market and mind share. Rather, this chapter represents an attempt to place the major vendors into a business perspective and to facilitate the objective analysis of which vendors are most likely to gain leadership in the emerging Web services market. For now, anticipated Web services adoption favors the four categories of vendors we have highlighted, but as more companies move into the collaboration phase, new entrants may wrestle for control of the market.

For consumers of Web services technology, our advice is to maintain a business value and return on investment perspective of the various vendor categories and solutions. Do not buy into a vendor’s product set because of where they say they are going. Rather, focus on short- to medium-term business payback, ideally with a one-year to 18-month horizon, while maintaining a clear focus on the compelling business problems you hope to tackle.

Considering the vendor categories discussed in this chapter, consider those vendors that can be trusted and have consistently delivered as opposed to those who have a questionable track record. Make partnering decisions based on primary platform partners, enterprise software partners, and augment these with specific technology solutions from the startups that really have a best-of-breed approach that the larger vendors have been slow to grasp. Anticipate where the power in the IT and Web services value chains will migrate based on the rapid evolution of the software products as well as the standards, and choose partners accordingly. Again, and this cannot be emphasized enough, make these decisions from a business perspective, and do not be tempted by technological “silver bullets.” Experience has demonstrated that they do not exist.