More and more businesses want to open up to customers, suppliers,
and staff via the web. Nadia Damon reports on some of the AS/400
products that can help.
IBM has been firmly pushing its AS/400 mid range server as the
platform for e-business over the last few years, and with that in
mind, software companies are moving fast to develop products that
will make this server the most suitable for electronic
commerce.
An increasing number of companies are opening up their businesses
to employees, customers, and business partners, via the internet
and intranets, making information which has traditionally been
buried within legacy systems accessible to a whole new range of
users via web based browsers.
'Today, most people are looking to present applications with a
flexible user-friendly interface, whether for internal or external
use,' says Andy Wooles, UK head of software specialists FutureSoft.
'Increasingly, the delivery of the application is web based or thin
client.'
Offering such user-friendly access to the information on the AS/400
and underlying legacy systems, is allowing businesses to push
forward with an e-business solution without making expensive
changes to their existing IT infrastructure.
'Web-enabling our applications enables our customers to provide
access to their business information and systems to anyone who has
access to the web,' says Pete Varden, XA European product manager
at Mapics.
Varden states that this browser based trend provides information to
employees working at another location who do not have direct access
to the system - such as remote offices, those at home or
travelling, or select business partners who need access to specific
business information.
He claims that security is also addressed, with web-enablement of
the base system allowing all security controls to remain active.
Security can also be utilised to control the different levels of
access provided to those people accessing via the web.
Jeremy Sharp, UK country manager for software developers Seagull,
says the company has seen a trend towards self-service e-business,
with customers using browser based access on a 24-hour, seven days
a week basis, instead of relying on paper based transactions during
business hours.
Below we take a look at some of the web-enabling products currently
available for the AS/400.
FutureSoft
FutureSoft offers DynaComm Connectivity
Series 8 (DCS8) Web Server Edition, a web server based technology
that facilitates the development and implementation of secure web
front-ends to host based character applications.
Integrating with FrontPage and Visual InterDev development
technologies, all execution occurs on the web server, with no
software installation or download required on individual desktops.
DCS8 runs on a Windows based web server, which requires no
installation on the AS/400 or the client device. Prices are
dependent upon number of concurrent users, but FutureSoft is aiming
it at any corporate AS/400 user.
'There are a number of clients currently using the technology to
integrate existing applications into a web based environment,' says
Wooles. 'As new development technology, these projects are still in
the development phase, going live later this year.'
IBM bundles Futuresoft's emulation products with its thin
client/Windows based terminal devices.
www.futuresoft.comECS (Electronic Commerce Solutions) Europe
Electronic
Commerce Solutions has produced ECS/integrated e-mail, designed to
extract data and convert it into a format that is more familiar to
everyone, not just AS/400 users.
This software focuses on electronic-enabling AS/400 ERP business
applications, supplying solutions that e-mail-enable legacy
applications. ECS says most of its clients use this product to
e-mail bulk business transactions, such as purchase orders and
acknowledgements, as HTML, PDF, or Text attachments.
This integration can be direct using API's, or indirect via spool
files. ECS claims this method improves visibility, and the
distribution of information with automated web publishing to
company intranet or internet sites.
ECS is currently developing an integrated XML translator to fully
support B2B application integration.
www.ecs-europe.comWRQ UK
WRQ claims its Reflection for the web product
provides users - inside and outside the firewall - with secure, web
based terminal emulation to IBM, HP, Unix, and OpenVMS host
applications. It is installed on any web server, and downloaded on
demand to the browser.
Reflection for the web has been tested and certified in IBM's
Netfinity Server Proven programme. WRQ claims it is easy to
install, deploy, and manage, allowing businesses to web-enable
their platforms quickly, without the expense of consultants or
re-engineering.
This software is deployed from a web server and written in Java. It
is designed to be platform independent, and can be deployed to any
web server that supports http 1.1. This includes: AS/400, NT, and
Unix.
www.wrq.comJD Edwards UK
Software developer JD Edwards offers two
products in the web-enabling arena, under the umbrella of its
OneWorld product.
According to Stewart Plain, pre-sales technical manager at JD
Edwards, OneWorld Xe enables customers to conduct collaborative
commerce, adopting open technologies that allow communication among
vendors, suppliers and customers across the supply chain.
OneWorld is certified to run on all the latest models of the
AS/400, and is suitable for medium to large installations.
OneWorld eXtended Process Integration (XPI) is the interoperability
engine for JD Edwards' collaborative commerce, which the company
claims allows rapid integration of disparate or heterogeneous
systems, and simplifies future version upgrades.
www.JDEdwards.comMapics UK
Mapics offers XA, a new gateway enabling
users to link, bridge, and integrate XA with any technology or
application through multiple channels, such as internet browsers.
Specific products aimed at medium-sized AS/400 installations
include a Java User Interface, which provides access to all ERP
functions via web browsers, specific functionality for product
catalogues, product configuration and order enquiries and taking
via the web.
XA product manager Pete Varden claims additional features include
design, development, and utilisation of web Portals, the ability to
handle XML transactions, collaborative product lifecycle
management, and access to financial reports.
Current developments include further extension of the XML
capabilities, as well as extensive expansion of the capabilities of
the user interface, which is provided for users of the system who
are accessing it via the web.
www.mapics.comDeveloper Solutions
Developer Solutions has produced
HiT Software, part of the IBM Application Tools Network, which
develops SQL and XML middleware to web-enable AS/400 servers. For
SQL middleware, HiT offers ODBC, Ole DB, and JDBC middleware that
support all major development environments for both Windows and
Java.
HiT Allora enables developers to access AS/400 data as
XML-formatted data for maximum portability within networked
applications. This product is also set to offer the mapping of
relational database tables to XML schemas.
HiT Java products run on all iSeries and AS/400s supporting the
Java JVM 1.1.8 and later.
Developer Solutions claims many of its HiT software customers
web-enable their iSeries and AS/400s by using Microsoft IIS on
Windows 2000 or NT Servers with Active Server Pages.
Seagull UK
Seagull claims its Transidiom software
integrates XML, Com and Java-compliant e-business with mainframe
and iSeries applications. It can be used to integrate front-office
applications, such as customer relationship management, supply
chain, storefront, employee intranet, with core business processes
running on back office systems, like order processing, inventory,
and claims processing.
The company's TigerRay product offers a direct link between host
applications and existing web infrastructure using HTML. It is
designed to create self-service web access to business functions in
mainframe or mid range applications, such as cheque account
information, update addresses, schedule, and cheque order status.
WinJa and J Walk offer web-to-host/host-to-web GUI connectivity for
enterprise applications, and deploy to any mix of Java, browser, or
Windows thin clients. These products are typically used with
extranets and intranets.
www.seagullsw.comSims Portex - Case study
Kent based Sims Portex designs
and manufactures sterile medical devices for use in operating
theatres and intensive care units.
With manufacturing and sales facilities based throughout the world,
the company decided it needed to develop an online presence and
provide its customers and distributors with both an online
directory of products and other services.
The organisation chose to implement IBM's Net.Commerce storefront,
fully integrated with JD Edwards' WorldSoftware running on an
AS/400 platform. It was already using WorldSoftware, and decided to
opt for a solution based upon its existing IT infrastructure.
Bob Summers, computer service manager Sims Portex, claims
web-enabling the AS/400 platform within the company has allowed the
firm to establish an online channel, while maintaining existing
customer relationships.
'The solution has been implemented to provide our distributors with
an online storefront giving trading access to all our products,'
says Summers. 'This enables them to select the item they require,
when they wish to receive it, and in what quantity.'
This data is then automatically fed into WorldSoftware, which
provides distributors with details of how the order can be
fulfilled. Sims Portex can gather orders directly from
distributors, which it claims has improved relationships, stock
control, and manufacturing efficiencies.
Sims Portex ran a beta version of the solution with one of its
suppliers prior to full roll out. It has now opted for 20
implementations at worldwide distributors within 12 months.
SUMMARY
With many businesses having already built
internet and intranet capabilities within their IT infrastructures,
web-enabling their existing AS/400 platform for a future in
electronic commerce is proving to be both a quick and inexpensive
way of opening up information that is traditionally inaccessible to
customers and suppliers via user-friendly web browsers.