Packaged business applications have dominated enterprise IT landscapes for
over a decade. Now these products are undergoing major changes to segway into
the world of Web Services. SAP has been one of the most aggressive companies
in embracing this revolution. Its NetWeaver platform is an ambitious suite of
integration technologies designed to morph SAP into enterprise SOAs. SAP
unveiled a four-year roadmap for NetWeaver in 2003. This article looks at the
platform at its halfway point as well as SAP's vision for creating a Web
Services-based agile business process infrastructure.
What Is NetWeaver?
NetWeaver is really a brand that encompasses a suite of tools just like
WebSphere, WebLogic, and .NET are umbrellas for a family of products within a
platform. Some of these products are relatively new, while others are proven
solutions that have been widely deployed. What ... (more)