Web app tool maker hits the big time |
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By Luke Meredith, News Writer
24 Oct 2005 | Search400.com |
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ISeries software vendor Business Computer Design International Inc. took yet another step up the Big Blue ladder last week. BCD has signed a distribution agreement in which IBM will issue WebSmart, BCD's iSeries Web application development tool, and Catapult, its automated report and document distribution tool, through its iSeries Try and Buy program.
The IBM iSeries Try and Buy CD is shipped globally to iSeries customers receiving i5/OS V5R3 upgrades and new iSeries hardware shipments. Users who are issued the Try and Buy CD will be able to install complete 30-day trial versions of WebSmart and Catapult, with an option to purchase the software once the trial period ends.
Web application tools are one of the cornerstones of the iSeries' immediate future, and Chicago-based BCD is poised to lead Big Blue's charge on that front. IBM made BCD a charter member of the iSeries Developer Roadmap in February, and appointed Eric Figura, BCD's director of sales and marketing, to the iSeries ISV Advisory Council in August.
According to Figura, embracing WebSmart and Catapult is an indication from IBM that BCD's Web application products are here to stay. He said only a handful of the more than 200 vendors in the iSeries Developer Roadmap ever make it into the Try and Buy program.
"This is not an endorsement from IBM. It's recognition," Figura said. "We didn't solicit IBM. They call you."
WebSmart includes templates, custom-designed wizards and over 100 free routines to build Web applications. WebSmart supports service-oriented architecture, Web services, extensible markup language, e-mail, and output to Microsoft Excel, and includes built-in change management and interfaces to CM tools. WebSmart also includes unlimited developer seats and requires no-seat licenses for end users.
Over 1,000 organizations have already developed iSeries Web applications using WebSmart, including Starbucks, Universal Music, CompUSA, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Formica Corp., Kawasaki, the State of California, Hickory Farms, numerous city and county governments, and numerous organizations in transportation, manufacturing, insurance, distribution, banking and healthcare.
Catapult monitors iSeries output queues to grab reports and optionally split them for distribution by e-mail, fax or print, and converts reports to .pdf, Rich Text Format and HTML with options to compress, encrypt and archive.
According to BCD, more than 1million end users already rely on WebSmart and Catapult, and Figura said the products are successful because iSeries customers find them easy to use.
"It doesn't make the market for us. It's just a complement to what we've doing all along," Figura said. "The one clear differentiator is that this is a product iSeries users understand. They tell us, 'We get this.'"
Let us know what you think about the story; e-mail: Luke Meredith, News Writer
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