BEA Systems to launch new version of WebLogic next year

California-based BEA Systems Inc, a world leader in enterprise infrastructure software, plans to launch the new version of WebLogic during the first half of 2005.

Speaking to Business Standard, Michael F Smith Jr, senior principal technologist, BEA Systems HK Limited, said: "The new product WebLogic 9.0 will have a host of better features than the previous version WebLogic 8.1."

The company's WebLogic server is a cornerstone of the BEA WebLogic Enterprise Platform. The WebLogic server provides the foundation for building integrated, enterprise-class applications that share information, deliver services, and automate collaboration among networked companies at internet volume and speed.

The server's fully Java to Enterprise Edition (J2EE)-compliant services oriented architecture, and support for rich tool sets facilitate the separation of presentation, business logic and data, providing the underlying core functionality necessary for the development and deployment of business-driven applications. It supports an integrated infrastructure that can connect legacy systems, as well as the latest web services.

Smith also said that another new product Quick Silver would also be launched during the same time. "The company sees web services management, web services messaging and general messaging coming together and Quick Silver would provide one messaging product for developers," Smith said.

The company has over 15,000 customers across the world and in India they have around 600 customers. "India is a good and growing market for the company. There are three basic reasons for this "� it is a growing domestic market; India is leading the race for the most number of organisations that provide expertise for global clients; and, finally the research and development capabilities would continue to grow for the company here," he said.

BEA has its R&D centre in Bangalore and has sales offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. Smith said that the company expects to form a new user group in Hyderabad.

"We have one user group in Bangalore which was formed around eight months back and we expect the second user group to be formed by the end of the current calendar year in Hyderabad," Smith said.

Seeing the need for an easy to use programming model for building J2EE applications, BEA Systems has asked independent software vendors, platform providers and other programmers to use its 'Beehive' software platform to achieve the desired results.

Addressing a one-day developer conference in Hyderabad Smith, said that 'Beehive' is BEA's open-source software, which will help developers deliver a comprehensive, easy-to-use framework for building dynamic J2EE and service oriented architecture (SOA) applications.

"'Beehive' application framework provides a runtime component with a higher level programming abstraction and also to help deliver the first, cross container, ease-of-use model and application framework for J2EE and SOA based applications," Smith said.

Beehive is based on the workshop application framework and is intended to make Java enterprise development more broadly accessible and easier than .Net. The Beehive model ensures investment protection by way of building consensus with customers and the industry apart from engaging open source community to drive standardisation and promote rapid proliferation and adoption.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), both the application server software platform (LASSP) and integration server software platform (ISSP) markets in the Asia Pacific, excluding Japan (APEJ) will experience better growth than previously expected.

The ISSP market in APEJ is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent in the 2004-08 period, becoming a $339 million market. The ISSP is expected to surge ahead with a CAGR of 24 per cent and its market size is expected to reach $334.8 million by 2008.