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September 01, 2002
Special Guide: Web Services Tools

Even with something as simple as SOAP and XML, there are build versus buy decisions to be made. This second installment of our Web services guide examines two categories of tools: those that protect your enterprise and those that seamlessly integrate your

Glen Marcus

Even with something as simple as SOAP and XML, there are build versus buy decisions to be made. This second installment of our 2002 Web services guide examines two categories of advanced Web services tools. The first category showcases tools aimed at protecting your Web service-based systems from malicious hackers, while the second category lists the wide array of tools that promise to use web services to integrate your existing systems.
September 2002: Special Guide: Web Services Tools


SECURITY PRODUCTS

The Tool What Is It? Web Services Features
and Claims
The Editors Say... The Cost
Flamenco Network
www.flamenconetworks.com
A Web services management platform Provides nonrepudiation, service-level monitoring, metering, billing and analytics. Includes a self-service, Web-based application that automates the cross-organization authorization processes. Communications layer ensures security, guaranteed delivery, onceand only once delivery, encryption, compression and streaming for large messages. Metering and billing features could be useful for selling Web services based on a service-level agreement. Pricing starts at $150,000 and scales based on usage. Hosted product pricing includes a setup fee and monthly charges based on number of connections.
Forum Systems XML Web Services Security Appliance
www.forumsys.com
An XML Web services appliance Provides end-to-end data integrity, Web services auditing and data-level confidentiality. Features include granular policies, flexible security and persistent security. Uses digital certification to ensure nonrepudiation—a cool feature. As an appliance, it may reduce installation and maintenance hassles. $34,995 for two appliances.
Grand Central Network
www.grandcentral.com
A platform for Web service inter-enterprise integration with security features Offers authentication, encryption, access control, reliable messaging, message routing, monitoring and exception alerts. Product is focused on SOAP and WSDL. $1,250 per connection per month.
Netegrity Interaction Server
www.netegrity.com
A Web services security platform Exposes Web services in a secure manner. Secures both locally and remotely hosted Web services using the same single-sign-on approach as the company's SiteMinder product. Combines a portal solution with Web services and SAML-based security. Also boasts an impressive client roster. Ranges from $9 to $240 per user, depending on number of users and the type of application.
Oblix NetPoint
www.oblix.com
A Web services security platform Provides an integrated solution of identity management and Web single-sign-on using XML, SOAP and extensive programmatic APIs. The APIs can be used to secure non-Web applications. Helps you use SAML to let a user browse two companies' Web sites while signing on only once. Yippee! $15 per user. Contact company for enterprise pricing.
Primordial WSBANG
www.primordial.com
A Web services security platform A SOAP-native Web services management platform, offering a single point of visibility into and control over Web services, making them secure, scalable and reliable. The caching, load balancing and clustering capabilities are worth checking out. $30,000 per server.
Quadrasis EASI Security Unifier
www.quadrasis.com
A Web services security platform Security framework for single-sign-on across Web services and other enterprise systems. Consists of a set of adapters, mappers and tools for connecting to a variety of applications and security products and a framework that links multiple security technologies to create a common security infrastructure that avoids potentially less secure and more costly custom-built security applications. Works with LDAP and SAML. Aims to simplify access to existing security infrastructure rather than replace it. Developer Toolkit: free for evaluation/development. EASI Lite (entry-level deployment): $35,000. EASI eInitiative: approx. $100,000.
Vordel Secure
www.vordel.com
A filter that runs in front of Web services on a Web server Ensures that Web service invocations come from authorized requesters, and are private and intact. Provides signed audit trails for all transactions. Auditing capability is extensive. Per-server license model with discounts applied based on CPU numbers. By registering with the VordelSecure EAP Program, you can get a free trial copy of Vordel-Secure (www.vordel.com/
products/
early_access_
program.html
).
APPLICATION INTEGRATION PRODUCTS
The Tool What Is It? Web Services Features and Claims The Editors Say... The Cost
Attachmate myEXTRA! Smart Connectors
www.attachmate.com
BizTalk Server application adapters Exposes host-based data as Web services within the Microsoft .NET framework. Can help you SOAP-ify your existing mainframe apps if you've chosen BizTalk as your platform. Per seat: $425/user (in myEXTRA! Presentation servers). Per server: starts at $50,000.
Attunity BusinessProcess Integrator & Connect for Microsoft BizTalk
www.attunity.com
Business integration platform and associated application adapters BPI provides a way to expose your business process as a Web service. Includes built-in applications and GUI to integrate with partners. Attunity Connect for Microsoft BizTalk is a set of adapters for mainframe apps to use with MS BizTalk. A possible alternative to Microsoft BizTalk Server. BPI: $25,000/CPU. Connect: $5,000 and up.
CommerceOne Collaborative Platform
www.commerceone.com
Business integration platform Includes a Business Web Services Framework component that deploys Web services. Does B2B integration with Web services. Contact CommerceOne for pricing.
CommerceRoute SyncX Integration Appliance
www.commerceroute.com
A hardware appliance for data exchange Provides a GUI application for defining rules for transfer and transformation of data between data source and destination. Allows automatic scheduling of recurring events and definition of business process. Uses PGP and SSL for security. A possible plug-and-play solution with a Web-based interface and strong security features. $49,000
CommerceQuest Business Process Integrator
www.commercequest.com
Business integration platform A platform for rapid integration of business transactions, applications, databases, components and files via industry standard message-oriented middleware technologies such as IBM MQSeries and SOAP. Provides detailed monitoring and audit tracking. Works with IBM Eclipse and CVS. Having several language interfaces (C, C++, Java, Active-X, COBOL, RPG) is a plus. Based on platform; NT version starts at $25,000.
Data Junction
www.datajunction.com
Data integration tool A suite of visual design tools for building and testing data integration projects that work with hundreds of data formats. Will work with SOAP as either a source or target. A valuable tool for Web service-based integration or any data transformation project. Professional edition: $6,000 for one user. Enterprise edition: $9,000.
DataAccess Technologies Component-X
www.enterprise-
component.com
Business integration platform Drag-and-drop component assembly and configuration product can be used to model business processes. Includes a Java API. Seems similar in focus to Microsoft BizTalk Server, but supports Java rather than .NET. Component-X Studio (includes application framework)—Standard edition: Free; Enterprise edition: $2,500/user. Server license— Stand-alone/Servlet: $5,000/CPU; J2EE: $8,000/CPU.
DataMirror
www.datamirror.com
Data integration tool A suite of tools that can transform data from most databases to XML and vice versa. Since it works with XML, may be possible to use this product to generate or consume SOAP-based Web services. Data transformation capabilities are worth checking out. Starts at $5,000 and varies based on CPU speed/number and platform.
eXcelon Extensible Information Server, StylusStudio, Business Process Manager
www.exceloncorp.com
Business integration platform XML-based database, XSLT IDE and XML-based business process management tool. Since these products are all XML-based, you can use them with SOAP-based Web services. Company is focused on native XML, Java and C++ data management software. EIS: $45,000 for 5 developer licenses and 1 group server. StylusStudio: $395/user. BPM: starts at $60,000.
ExtremeSoft AppMetrics for BizTalk Server
www.extremesoft.com
Tool for auditing and measuring Microsoft BizTalk Server Extension to Microsoft BizTalk Server that measures throughput of the system, the performance of specific operations and the relationship to other operations, and identifies when an operation has exceeded normal constraints. This product may help you decide if your BizTalk-based integration performs well. $1,250 per CPU.
Infravio Web Services Management System
www.infravio.com
Web services development and management platform A platform for developing, managing and executing Web services. Supports exposing existing applications as Web services, as well as aiding in building new Web services from the ground up. The XML-based management model coordinates the development, lifecycle management and runtime execution of all your Web services. Compatible with most developer environments and application servers. Supports all major J2EE application servers and .NET. Focused on Web services. Compatible with J2EE and .NET. JumpStart program includes some initial consulting, a limited number of developer seats and one server license for $45,000.
IONA Orbix E2A Web Services Integration Platform
www.iona.com
Web services development and management platform Includes a visual environment to create and integrate Web services, a container to deploy Web services as stand-alone applications or with popular J2EE application servers, a process modeler and engine to integrate multiple Web services into a single executable business process, and a visual environment for administering Web services and state of process flows. Broad range of protocols and APIs supported: SOAP, WSDL and UDDI, JAXR (UDDI registries), JMX (instrumentation and management) AXM (SOAP JMessage handling), SAML (authentication and authorization assertions), DISCO (Microsoft discovery). XML bus (entry-level edition): $500/developer license; $2,500/deployment license. Collaborate edition: starts at $250,000.
ItemField ContentMaster
www.itemfield.com
Data integration tool Data extraction and conversion software suite. Converts between multiple formats and XML (hence SOAP). API support for COM, CGI, Command line, C, C++, HTTP/S. Includes ParserStudio, a graphical development environment, and ParserEngine, a server that runs scripts in real-time in production. A general XML application tool. Can convert HTML and other non-XML data to XML. Definitely worth investigating. ParserStudio: $2,500 per developer. ParserEngine: $20,000 per 1-4 CPU server. Reduced pricing is available for restricted licenses.
iWay XML Transformation Engine (XTE) & iWay Enterprise Integration Broker (EIB)
www.iwaysoftware.com
Business integration platform XTE is a lightweight, Java-based solution for integration of custom and packaged applications and non-relational data sources. EIB mostly handles more complex integration using XML. Integrates with IBM WebSphere MQ Integrator and Microsoft BizTalk Server via SOAP. The company offers an alternative to "roll-your-own" application adapters. XTE starts at $20,000/CPU. EIB starts at $40,000/CPU.
Mercator Integration Broker
www.mercator.com
Business integration platformExposes functions in existing enterprise systems—such as SAP, PeopleSoft, mainframe applications and data—as Web services without altering those systems or incurring development and integration costs. Also enables integration of Web services provided by third parties into integrated business processes. Focus is on a "noninvasive" approach, with existing ERP apps such as SAP, PeopleSoft and Seibel. Contact Mercator for pricing.
SeeBeyond e*WayIntegrator & Intelligent Adapters
www.seebeyond.com
Business integration platform Aims to manage the flow of information across all systems, applications and enterprises. Offers integration adapters for enterprise applications (legacy apps; Siebel, SAP, Clarify) using EDI and XML, RosettaNet, BizTalk and SOAP. Exposes business processes as Web services via SOAP and WSDL. Impressive array of adapters. Complete solutions start at $200,000.
Software AG entireX Communicator and entireX Mediator
www.softwareag.com
Business integration platform Communicator transforms simple SOAP-based function calls into remote procedure calls to legacy applications. Mediator is an XML exchange broker that uses rules and sequences to manage movement of XML documents. Like some other integration products, lets you include your CICS in your new software development. Based on platform. Windows: starts at $35,000. Mainframe: Averages $200,000.
Taviz eIntegration Suite
www.taviz.com
Business integration platform GUI administration app for distributed integration services. Business Process visually automates and monitors processes. The metadata repository allows users to conduct impact analysis and make global changes to template, rules and load specifications. Offers Pre-Built Intelligent Adapters to connect Microsoft BizTalk Server to Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, Siebel and JD Edwards. Also offers a Java/C++ API. Broad array of connectors and extensive API. Contact Taviz for pricing.
webMethods Integration Platform
www.webmethods.com
Business integration platform Claims to be the leading provider of integration software. Links business processes, enterprise and legacy applications, databases, and workflows. Uses a service-level architecture approach and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to manage Web services. Focus on SLAs promises to make a real business out of your service-oriented architecture. webMethods would not release price to press.

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