IBM has announced that they have released five new software programs as well as services and training, which are related to service-oriented architecture. This allows companies to build virtual bridges across previously unrelated computer data, systems and functions. One of the new offerings, an extension of IBM"s popular WebSphere business software, gives companies an instant overview of a variety of factors influencing their business, according to IBM. For example, the software could alert a user when a competitor makes a market-shifting move, IBM said in a statement. The alert could be integrated with outside research and records of customer feedback and could recommend steps to limit the effects of the competitor"s move.
The new releases are the latest in a two-year effort by IBM, of Armonk, N.Y., to promote service-oriented architecture, or SOA, in a multi-pronged approach drawing on software, hardware and services businesses.
"We learned where the gaps are," over the past two years, Mills said. "SOA is more than just building new things. It"s about reusing what you already have."