1. Application Server Technology : The State of the Art Gary Barnett IT Research Director gab@ovum.com July 2002 www.ovum.com

2. 2 The state of the Application Server Art Current state of the art Where is the Market going? The major application server players – their position and strategy Things that end-user need to consider

3. Type conclusion statement here The Current state of the art

4. 4 The current state of the art The application server market is in a last phase of consolidation Only three ‘big’ application server vendors – IBM, Microsoft, BEA But some interesting ‘tier 2’ vendors – Oracle, SAP, Sun

5. 5 2001-2002 Major Shakeout Growing IBM Superb marketing, now matched by technology Microsoft Irresistible rise up the food chain BEA Holding share, despite losing strategic advantage Oracle Significant improvements in technology have given Oracle a second chance. Declining Sun Struggling with technology and vision Borland Superb base level technology, but middleware comes second to development tools IONA Losing its way - Too many ‘rebranding’ exercises Other departures... SilverStream, HP, ATG

6. 6 The application server market is closed J2EE is effectively a commodity IBM and BEA have turned the core APIs into a commodity No-one wants to be in a drag race with the leading middleware vendors New entrants face an extremely hostile environment But there are exceptions….

7. 7 A very interesting newcomer - SAP An ERP vendor enters the middleware market? What middleware expertise does SAP have? Will SAP be able to compete as a middlware vendor? SAP has a secret weapon A huge installed base! SAP isn’t making a ‘middleware’ play - it is going directly to the ‘platform play’

8. Type conclusion statement here Where is the market going?

9. 9 The application server layer is a commodity But richer technical services (scalability, reliability) are not The future battle ground in the world of application servers is above the J2EE APIs The future lies in frameworks...

10. 10 Where is the market going? J2EE Core Development Tools Management Tools

11. 11 Where is the market going? J2EE Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools

12. 12 Where is the market going? J2EE Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel

13. 13 Where is the market going? J2EE Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components

14. Type conclusion statement here The major players...

15. 15 The state of the Application Server Art The major application server players – their position and strategy IBM BEA Microsoft Oracle Sun SAP

16. 16 IBM J2EE Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support A leading player particularly in big business Huge investment Close to 1Bn USD a year A mature vision WebSphere is four years old Only Microsoft can offer the same breadth of services from development tools to deployment platforms WebSphere is big and complex And IBM still has some integration work to do

17. 17 Microsoft Middleware Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support A huge installed base particularly among ISVs The best developer vision in the business A 100% holistic approach Microsoft can deliver everything If you are willing to commit to Microsoft Microsoft continues to have ‘image’ problems Quality, Security

18. 18 BEA Middleware Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support WebLogic is at the top of the Application Server market Trying to compete with the Websphere vision But still ‘incomplete’ as a platform BEA needs to improve its vision and execution BEA is falling behind IBM in the mindshare race BEA doesn’t really understand development tools WebGain...

19. 19 Oracle Middleware Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support Huge installed base Early attempts to enter market hindered by poor technology Improved technology will make a difference Oracle believes in an “Oracle” Universe Portal works very well with Oracle... Oracle still places the database at the centre of every diagram

20. 20 Sun Middleware Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support Creator of Java! Sun One technology has has a very disrupted life so far Sun is still, at heart, a hardware company Sun knows it should make money from Java But is just not sure how... Sun is obsessed with Microsoft

21. 21 SAP Middleware Core Web Services Development Tools Management Tools PortalCommerceIntegration Multi- channel Pre-built components Rich support Good Support Some Support Emerging support No support An ERP vendor! Huge installed base many clients view SAP as ‘the system’ Sees an opportunity to defend base, and find new customers SAP has a mixed history in development tools SAP is the ‘wildcard’

22. Type conclusion statement here Our advice to adopters

23. 23 Advice to end-users The Core APIs are no longer the biggest differentiator Select on the basis of the value added components Application servers remain complex choose vendors that can support you, wherever and whenever you need support Watch the impact of web services On integration On multi-channel development

24. Type conclusion statement here Questions ?