Channel Tech Center

The only thing tougher than creating a composite application that spans multiple business processes is managing them.

Composite applications seek to integrate disparate applications under a common business process management (BPM) framework. Some times that work is done from the ground up as part of a custom application development project or customers may opt to leverage any one of a new generation of BPM platforms from SAP, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft or Tibco.

Because a composite application combines elements of various underlying applications, they are notoriously difficult to manage. AmberPoint this week, however, announced that its namesake application management system will now make it easier to manage composite applications by adding support for BPM platforms from Microsoft, Oracle, Microsoft and Tibco. In addition, AmberPoint announced that its platform has been extended to support a full range of Oracle applications and technologies.

The AmberPoint management framework, which typically costs about $250,000 to initially implement, gives solutions providers a critical tool for taking on projects that require the management of composite applications that are enabled by BPM systems. According to Gartner, BPM systems are one of the few areas expected to experience significant growth in 2009.

It also creates a significant business consulting opportunity that adds value for the customer by automating an entire business process from end to end, rather than merely providing enabling software that leaves most of the heavy lifting to the customer.