Enterprise developers and solution providers now have a strategic weapon to build next-generation business applications. Using the Java platform to ensure a shorter sales cycle and quicker time to market, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) can sharpen competitive edge.
This is according to Vikrant Patel of Sun Microsystems RSA, who maintains EJB brings the speed, simplicity and reusability of JavaBeans development, with the cross-platform portability, scalability and security of the Java platform, to enterprise-wide applications.
"Because applications designed using EJBs work with existing enterprise systems, companies can gain a new competitive advantage with the Java platform - and preserve investments in existing technology."
Patel explains that Java is ideal for large-scale enterprise computing because it allows corporate developers to focus on business logic instead on infrastructure.
"Previously, developers had to know how to write both business logic and specialised system-level programs controlling features such as security and the ability to handle multiple transactions - normally a complex task. EJB allows corporate developers to concentrate on writing the logic to solve business problems, rather than writing code to ease the interaction of diverse technologies."
Developers are now able to build reusable blocks of software with functionality ranging from an inventory tracking system to an application tracking employee benefits or sales commissions.
Says Patel: "Each element of an application can be written as a component and linked together using a development tool. For example, in an inventory management system, an EJB component might be created to search the inventory database, another to alert the user when inventory on certain products is low, and another to provide a daily listing of inventory."
"Collectively, these elements form an end-to-end software solution. Also, because the components are platform independent, any one of them may be used to complete other applications, such as a sales reporting system."
The IT industry at large has shown its support for EJB because it delivers Java technology`s core value position to the enterprise.
Says Alfred Chuang, chief technology officer at BEA Systems Inc. and general manager of BEA Web Xpress division: "BEA Systems Inc. has delivered a comprehensive Enterprise JavaBeans platform to more than 1,000 corporations around the world with our BEA WebLogic Java applications server."
"This broad and rapid adoption is a testament to the leadership of Sun in setting useful enterprise Java standards and BEA in contributing to the design of these standards and delivering superior implementations of them. BEA believe it is important to deliver EJB innovation in 'Internet time` and in partnership with Sun, including compatible EJB support for our BEA M3 object transaction manager."
"Symantec has been a strong proponent of the EJB technology since we began developing Visual Café Enterprise Suite over a year ago," says Mansour Safai, vice-president of Symantec`s Internet Tools Division. "Enterprise Suite`s architecture was designed to support EJB, because we know it`s important for enterprise developers to have a standard component architecture for integrating their business applications into web-based solutions. Visual Café Enterprise Suite answers that need while minimising risk, reducing complexity and helping developers increase competitive edge."
Locally, Sun Microsystems, Symantec and BEA Systems recently presented an in-depth discussion on both the business benefits of the Java platform for the enterprise, and the technology behind it. The event, which has run successfully across Europe, was created specifically for IT managers and Java developers involved in defining or developing technology solutions.
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