The Change Mariner

IBM's Server-Centric Software Takes On Microsoft

The New York Time:

The Workplace desktop, I.B.M. says, promises to deliver improved security and cost savings of up to 50 percent over the Microsoft desktop suites. Since central control resides in the server software, I.B.M. says, it is easier to manage changes and updates, and eliminates the possibility of a desktop computer user inadvertently spreading a computer virus.

The I.B.M. formula, according to analysts, could represent a new direction in the software business, but only if the timing is right.

"This has the potential to be a game changer," said Amy Wohl, an independent technology analyst in Narberth, Pa. "But it all depends on how ready the market is for a server-centric product."

The move is the next step in I.B.M.'s software strategy, which has focused on developing middleware, a layer of software that rides on top of the operating system. Middleware undermines the importance of the underlying operating system because software applications are written to run on the middleware instead of written to run on a specific operating system like Microsoft's Windows or Sun Microsystems' Solaris, the leading Unix operating system.

Posted by Bob King at May 10, 2004 09:57 AM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Area - Tech - Software | Industry - Software | Quadrant - Technological

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