Software AG Brings Collaboration, Interoperability and Real-Time Visibility to the Extended Enterprise with Latest webMethods Release

Business Wire, Sept 12, 2007

* webMethods product suite delivers faster business results and competitive differentiation via full integration of best-in-class technologies for SOA Governance, Business Integration, Business Process Management and Legacy Modernization

* Award-winning webMethods BPMS enhanced with simulation, task analytics and expanded automation of human workflow

* Introduction of webMethods Optimize for B2B brings patented analytical monitoring to both suppliers and customers within extended value chains

* webMethods ESB unveiled as the industry's most comprehensive solution for open standards based application integration and trading partner management

* Latest release to take center stage at Integration World 2007 this November 5-7th in Orlando, Florida

RESTON, Va. -- Software AG, a global leader in business infrastructure software, today announced the immediate availability of version 7.1 of the webMethods product suite (webMethods 7.1). Based on the combined strengths of webMethods and Software AG, this latest release brings top-ranked technologies for service-oriented architecture (SOA) governance, business integration, business process management (BPM) and legacy modernization together within a fully-modular product suite. By combining all of these capabilities within a single product suite, webMethods 7.1 helps enterprises reduce operational costs by reusing instead of recreating IT assets; accelerate their process improvement initiatives; and make faster, smarter business decisions.

Principal additions in the new release include further enhancements to the business process management component, webMethods BPMS; the introduction of webMethods Optimize for B2B as a real-time monitoring and analysis solution for extended value chains; and the debut of the webMethods ESB as a comprehensive, standards-based enterprise service bus (ESB) solution enabling integration and interoperability of applications, services, processes and partners via a single platform. The overall platform has also been strengthened with improvements designed to measurably enhance performance, reliability and ease-of-use.

"Global enterprises are judged on how they innovate, collaborate and respond to change - both within their organization and beyond. Linking these pursuits together is the ability to orchestrate the often complex interactions of users, data and systems into effective, end-to-end business processes," said David Mitchell, President and Chief Operating Officer of the webMethods business line of Software AG. "The latest release of the webMethods product suite addresses this need easily and elegantly. Significant new features work to extend real-time performance monitoring to customers and partners, optimize process execution, and simplify the management of extended supplier networks. Furthermore, it also advances our vision of allowing CIO's to manage IT as a portfolio of services, due to our continued commitment to a lifecycle approach for the management and governance of all IT assets."

Specific components of the webMethods product suite include CentraSite as an industry-leading platform for SOA lifecycle governance, the webMethods ESB and webMethods BPMS, and a rich portfolio of tools for legacy modernization. The webMethods product suite helps enterprises:

* Integrate, modernize and extend legacy systems and packaged applications;

* Connect more efficiently and effectively with trading partners and markets;

* Automate, monitor and continually improve core business processes;

* Collaboratively develop new, Web-based applications without coding; and

* Reconfigure existing IT assets into more powerful business solutions.

Major updates and additions in the new release include:

* webMethods BPMS - This award-winning BPM solution has been updated to include embedded simulation, sophisticated task analysis, usability enhancements to human workflow, and additional flexibility in reporting and asset categorization.

* webMethods ESB - Providing enterprises with maximum flexibility at a lower operating cost is the webMethods ESB, a standards-based enterprise service bus solution addressing traditional application integration requirements, complex service composition and orchestration scenarios, and the interoperability demands associated with business-to-business (B2B) trading networks.

* webMethods Optimize for B2B - Eliminating the gaps where multiple supply chain management applications overlap is Optimize for B2B, a new solution that provides enterprises, customers and partners with real-time, end-to-end visibility into their B2B operations.

These new features were designed from the ground-up to capitalize on the significant innovations first delivered with the webMethods 7.0 release. This subsequent release offers current webMethods customers (version 6.5 or earlier) a seamless upgrade path. Furthermore, Software AG expects to unveil the CentraSite Governance Edition, an updated version of the webMethods Infravio X-Registry, next month in conjunction with the SOA Governance Summit, which is being hosted by Software AG in Copenhagen on October 2, 2007.