Metastorm warms to Java programmers

Software company Metastorm plans to enhance its work flow product so it works better with Java-based applications and tools. The company on Tuesday said it will be releasing the revamped product line, called Universal Process Orchestration, in stages over the course of the year.

Metastorm's software, which is built on Microsoft's .Net development platform, is used to build applications that automate multistep business processes, such as processing an insurance claim. With the new products, software programmers will be able to use the development tools they are most comfortable with, said Greg Carter, chief technology officer at privately owned Metastorm. The products will allow a Java programmer, for example, to use the Eclipse open-source development tool to build applications that pull data out of existing Java applications. The company intends to release new versions for Microsoft's .Net and Web services later this year. Also, in the third quarter, the company plans to release a "dashboard" application which will allow people to analyze data from company work flows.