For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Adoption Of SOA: Still Strong, Even In Hard Times

Current Use Of SOA Advances 27% Among Enterprises, 45% Among SMBs

by Randy Heffner, June 21, 2010

Service-oriented architecture continues to find a welcome home in both enterprises and SMBs. Even during the Great Recession, all sizes of organizations moved ahead in their adoption of SOA. Global 2000 enterprises have the strongest penetration of SOA: . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: Integration Inquiries Are Up 34% Over The Previous Year

An Improving Economic Outlook And Upgrade Plans Are The Key Drivers

by Ken Vollmer, May 28, 2010

Integration is still a hot topic for many enterprises, and this has led to a 34% increase in integration-related inquiries during the past 12 months compared with the previous year. This increasing volume reflects multiple factors, including an improving . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

It's Time To Tame The ERP Integration Beast

Meeting ERP Integration Needs Inside And Outside The Enterprise

by Ken Vollmer, George Lawrie, Mike Gilpin, May 5, 2010

Integration challenges are often the foremost obstacle to getting the full value from packaged enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions. Strategies for overcoming this obstacle vary considerably depending on the application providers, the complexity . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

The CIS Reference Architecture Model

Part Two Of A Two-Part Series On Integration Solution Architecture Models

by Ken Vollmer, April 19, 2010

Comprehensive integration solutions (CISes) are suites of tools that provide the broadest array of internal and external integration capabilities available in the market today. As such, they are uniquely qualified to support complex business activities . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Smart Computing Innovation Must Be Guided By EAs

by Henry Peyret, March 30, 2010

Forrester predicts that the latest cycle of technology innovation, "Smart Computing," will reshape the technology market through 2017. Smart Computing — which involves a blend of smart devices, smart networks, smart analytics and applications, and smart . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

The ESB Reference Architecture Model

Part One Of A Two-Part Series On Integration Solution Architecture Models

by Mike Gilpin, Ken Vollmer, March 26, 2010

Although enterprise service buses (ESBs) have been around for a number of years, there is still a lot of confusion regarding the actual capabilities these products provide. Product enhancement efforts by leading ESB vendors have added to the confusion, . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

The Arrival Of Smart Computing Reinforces The Need For Dynamic Business Applications

Smart Computing Drives The New Era Of IT Growth

by Mike Gilpin, February 18, 2010

Since the 1950s, the US has seen three cycles of technology investment growth and refinement. In 2008, the US entered its fourth such cycle, which Forrester is labeling "Smart Computing." Smart Computing seeks to help organizations maximize assets and . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The State Of Enterprise Software And Emerging Trends: 2010

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., Heidi Shey, Holger Kisker, Ph.D., February 12, 2010

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European enterprises via our Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q4 2009. Hot software topics included cloud computing, service-oriented . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The State Of SMB Software And Emerging Trends: 2010

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Holger Kisker, Ph.D., Stefan Ried, Ph.D., Heidi Shey, February 12, 2010

This document provides highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) via our Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q4 2009. Hot software topics covered . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

What IBM-Lombardi Means To Application Development Professionals

BPM Technology Will Be Much More Prominent; You Need A Plan For It

by John R. Rymer, Clay Richardson, February 9, 2010

IBM's acquisition of Lombardi Software is key to its plan to take business process management suites (BPMSes) from their current niche as a sometimes-used tool for developing and delivering applications to usage as common as Java or Visual Basic. The . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

Forrester TechRadar™: Enterprise Data Integration, Q1 2010

Data Integration Technologies Evolve To Address New Challenges

by Noel Yuhanna, Rob Karel, February 4, 2010

Today, enterprises face increasing data integration challenges, largely because of growing data volumes, data protection issues, data migration complexities, the need for real-time information, integration of structured with unstructured data, and the . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Topic Overview: Information Architecture

by Gene Leganza, January 13, 2010

Information architecture (IA) is a cornerstone of enterprise architecture (EA), but 43% of the architects we surveyed either have not yet addressed this domain or have only begun to implement what they need. And for the vast majority of the established . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

2010 Update: Evaluating Integration Alternatives

Enterprises Face A Growing Need For A Unified Integration Competency Center

by Ken Vollmer, Rob Karel, Noel Yuhanna, January 12, 2010

Just as in 2009, technical innovation and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity have continued to have a significant impact on the integration space. The most common trend has been the expansion of existing products and services to the point where . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Next Wave Of IT Investment Is Smart Computing

Smart Computing Drives The New Era Of IT Growth

by Simon Yates, January 5, 2010

Like the mainframe, personal, and network computing eras that have gone before it, "Smart Computing" will usher in a new era of technology innovation and growth. But, says Andrew Bartels, it will be the most vertical epoch yet. It represents an amalgam . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: The Middleware Software Market, 2009

Software AG And TIBCO Challenge IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, And SAP

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., December 30, 2009

The middleware software market went through a sequence of paradigm changes in the past three decades. Most vendors offer middleware portfolios with various software components from basic application servers to recent and highly business-oriented business . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

Oracle Gets More Specific About Its Sun Plans

No Forced Migrations, But Only Some Sun Products Seem Strategic To Oracle

by John R. Rymer, Jeffrey S. Hammond, James Staten, December 21, 2009

As the European Commission’s (EC’s) objections to the acquisition of Sun Microsystems continue to delay the deal, Oracle issued clarification on its intentions for Sun’s technology, most notably its middleware. Oracle hadn’t previously discussed its plans . . .

For CIOs

Insights For CIOs: SOA And Beyond

by Randy Heffner, December 15, 2009

The worst CIO misunderstanding about service-oriented architecture (SOA) is thinking of it as only another technical initiative for software reuse. Although SOA's reuse potential is real and good, its business impact goes much further: In Forrester surveys, . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Topic Overview: SOA And Beyond For Enterprise Architects

by Randy Heffner, December 8, 2009

With 74% of the Global 2000 now using service-oriented architecture (SOA), most architects recognize that SOA is about much more than Web services and better application integration. SOA continues to gain industry recognition as a key element of strategic . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Smart Computing Drives The New Era Of IT Growth

A New Tech Investment Cycle Holds Seismic Promise — And Challenges

by Andrew Bartels, December 4, 2009

The technology industry has entered a new cycle of tech innovation and growth, which we are calling "Smart Computing." Like prior cycles of mainframe computing, personal computing, and network computing, Smart Computing will power a seven- to eight-year . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

Topic Overview: SOA And Beyond For App Dev And Program Management Pros

by Randy Heffner, November 23, 2009

If developers treat service-oriented architecture (SOA) only as Web services standards for better application integration, it can easily result in siloed, point-to-point Web services that solve only short-term, project-level problems. Longer-term application . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Develop A Technology Watch List

The Top 15 Technology Trends To Watch

by Sharyn Leaver, November 13, 2009

As IT executives set out their strategies and plan for 2010 and beyond, they must determine what the top technology trends are for their business and gauge IT's ability to support the next phase of technology innovation and growth. To help, Forrester . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

The Top 15 Technology Trends EA Should Watch

by Alex Cullen, October 6, 2009

IT organizations need to inform their annual and longer-term plans with an understanding of how changes in technology will enable business outcomes. EA groups are the logical leaders for this effort. Forrester has identified 15 technologies with the greatest . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

What Semantic Technology Means To Application Development Professionals

Semantic Technology Is Now Ready For Increased But Focused Use

by Dave West, October 2, 2009

Semantic technology has been incubating for the past 10 years, but most application development professionals view it with skepticism or outright distrust, believing that the dream of semantic technology is impractical in a time of stretched budgets and . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

The Five Most Valuable SOA Governance Practices

Survey Ranks Broad SOA Governance Practices Above Detailed Practices

by Randy Heffner, September 22, 2009

A recent Forrester survey showed that SOA governance increases SOA satisfaction and that each of 12 different SOA governance practices has a positive correlation with higher SOA satisfaction. Which of the 12 should SOA users focus on first? Our survey . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

SOA Security 2009: Four Solution Patterns

A Two-Dimensional Continuum For Diverse SOA Security Solutions

by Randy Heffner, September 14, 2009

Architects crafting their organization's strategy and architecture for service-oriented architecture (SOA) security have a wide diversity of security requirements, business scenarios, and application infrastructure to deal with. To set a solid direction . . .