Business process management (BPM) is a discipline that helps enterprises identify, measure and improve their processes. Middleware consists of the tools and platforms enterprises use to automate their activities and processes to operate more effectively and to be more agile. Business Process Management and Middleware looks at the business of this fast-growing area of technology by analyzing the core technologies, trends and user requirements in addition to sizing the various market segments in detail. Coverage includes use of middleware to improve internal processes in addition to multi-enterprise approaches to integration and process automation.

• Software used by enterprises to support their business process management efforts
• Application server middleware including application server software platforms, transaction processing middleware, and extreme transaction processing
• Business-to-business middleware, including value-added networks, SaaS offerings, and B2B hubs, along with managed file transfer software
• Enterprise service bus (ESB) and connectivity middleware
• Event-driven middleware, including message-oriented middleware, complex event processing, and business activity monitoring
• Process automation middleware including BPM suites, straight-through-processing and industry-specific process automation

• Quarterly review of key wins by middleware market
• Primary research and trends covering why buyers purchase from one vendor as opposed to others across different middleware segments
• Market sizing and forecasts
• Key technology trends including application server virtualization, middleware and BPM SaaS, event-driven architectures, progress of SOA middleware tools, and impact of open source in the market
• Private vendors, their progress, and how they are forcing change across the industry
• Vendors and tools from emerging markets
• Emerging functionality, such as the enablement of dynamic decision making within an application and situational decision-making within process automation
• Acquisitions and strategic partnerships and how they impact the competitive landscape

1. How will vendors differentiate in the face of intense competition in key middleware markets?
2. What are customers looking for when they make middleware purchasing decisions?
3. How is BPM evolving as the market evolves from emerging to reach a level of maturity?
4. How is the battle between .NET and JEE shaping up?

IDC's Business Process Management and Middleware service examines the strategies, market positioning, and future direction of more than 100 providers in the BPM and application deployment markets, including:

ACI Worldwide, Action Technologies, Adobe, Aleri, Appian, Autonomy, Axway, Azul, Coral8, Extol, Fiorano, Fujitsu, Global 360, GXS, Handysoft, Hitachi, IBM, IDS Scheer, Information Builders, Inovis, Kabira, Lombardi, MessageWay, Metastorm, Microsoft, Oracle, Open Connect, OpenSpan, Pegasystems, Primeur, Proginet, Progress Software, Quovadx, Red Hat, RepliWeb, RTI, SAP, Savvion, Sterling Commerce, Software AG, Streambase, Sun Microsystems, SWIFT, TIBCO, Ultimus, and Vitria.

This service focuses on the following core research. In addition to the insight provided in this service, IDC may conduct additional research on specific topics, or emerging market segments, via research offerings that require additional IDC funding and client investment.

Forecast and Vendor Shares for Application Deployment Software and Submarkets, Including Integration Servers, Application Servers, and Messaging-Oriented Middleware

This document forecasts and provides vendor shares for application deployment software and its major submarkets.

Forecast and Vendor Shares for Business Process Management

This study forecasts and provides vendor shares for business process management software by region and operating environment.

Analysis of the Emerging Application Deployment Road Map

This study examines existing products and features by the various competitors to determine what a best-of-breed deployment platform looks like and how it may change over the next few years.

Comparison of Standalone BPM with BPM That Is Becoming Part of the Application Deployment Stack

As deployment platform vendors integrate BPM into their stack, we will look at how that compares with the existing offerings from classic BPM vendors.

Overviews of Complex Event Processing Software and Other Emerging Integration Technologies

This study examines the emerging technologies surrounding event processing and correlation software, analyzes competition, provides a preliminary forecast, and provides market opportunity sizing by vertical markets.

Profiles of the Leading Vendors and Emerging Leaders in Both Application Deployment and BPM

In this document, several vendors will be profiled, examining their performance in the deployment platform market.

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