BEA woos nontechies with new software

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each pursuing the same infrastructure software, or "middleware," market. And open-source Java applications servers, notably from JBoss, are putting pressure on the company.

BEA's reputation as a cutting-edge, innovative company, which has helped it land business in the past, is being tested as well. "A number of the company's best-recognized technology leaders have left the company over the past year, throwing...BEA's reputation into question," Charles Di Bona, financial analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said in a recent note.

Indeed, rather than discussing long-term new products, the company for the past several months has focused on boosting its revenue through expanding its sales channels and improving its internal operations. By disclosing that it is working on the "next generation of middleware," BEA is indicating that it intends to grow through new product development and different customers.

"On strategy, there's no question that BEA has pulled in their horns a bit," said John Rymer, an analyst with Forrester Research, who noted that the company has chosen to focus on near-term execution. But "it's important to expand their market of customers by getting into this early stage market."

BEA's new software line will build off its existing server products, including its business process automation server, its QuickSilver integration software, and its Liquid Data, an XML-based data-access product, Chuang said. People will be able to "subscribe" to data feeds based on events and have information delivered to mobile devices, he added.

BEA is planning to release major upgrades to its existing product line this year, starting with the WebLogic application server version 9 this spring and an update to its entire server software suite in the second half of the year, according to Chuang.

With the company focusing on improving its near-term financial health and delivery of revenue-producing upgrades, it's likely the new product line won't be completed until next year. Neither code names nor final product names have been attached to the new line.

Cutting out the middleman
With the new product line, BEA will tackle a long-standing problem in the software industry: Custom business applications take months or years to create and are often difficult to modify once they're finished. Many application projects are deemed failures because they come in over budget or do not match up to the business's intent.

People who understand company processes, notably business analysts, often communicate application requirements to programmers, who do the actual design and coding. BEA's plans call for giving tools directly to businesspeople such as these, allowing them to modify the system without spawning a costly and time-consuming software development project.

The concept presents BEA with a sales challenge: Allowing a

[smabres]

Nonsense

I really don't understand BEA, it is nonsense, have you ever seen a spreadsheet made by business annalist?

[JonyR]

New Brand

I can suggest a name for the new brand: Silver Bullet