French software component manufacturer Ilog has started porting its
products to the Microsoft's .net platform.
The company has released new C++ versions of its business rules,
optimisation, and visualisation software for .net. Ilog components
are widely used by some of the biggest names in enterprise
software, including Siebel Systems, SAP and i2.
"We are already geared to support Web services in the Java world,"
said Jean-Francois Abramatic, senior vice-president for research
and development at Ilog. "This is the year we move more
aggressively into the .net space."
Abramatic said Ilog will integrate more closely with the .net
platform throughout the year. "We will make our business rules line
of products and our optimisation line CLR [Common Language
Runtime]-compliant," he said.
Analyst Vernon Keenan of Keenan Vision, said the move makes sense
but also raises some questions. "It is a logical, evolutionary step
for Ilog to put on a .net suit of clothes," said Keenan. "But the
Web services drive is all about more componentisation, and I am not
sure that model will fly with IT professionals."
Keenan thinks the move to more componentised software is one of the
things that led to the current slowdown in technology. "Assembling
components is complex. This is one of the things that killed off
companies like Scient and Viant. I think IT people are going to be
looking more for complete solutions now," he said.
Abramatic thinks Web services will surface first in protected
domains. "Intranets are one of the places where you will start to
see Web services deployed," he said."But I also think they will
start to show up in external, trusted environments".