Software AG, Inc., the Reston, Va.-based U.S. subsidiary of Software AG, Europe’s largest systems software provide, and T4 Consulting Group, Inc. (T4CG), a provider of Java and XML based solutions, have formed a strategic alliance aimed at leveraging Software AG’s product suite and T4CG’s XML integration experience. T4CG will provide XML integration capabilities with Software AG’s Tamino native XML server and EntireX enterprise application integration products for its clients.
Under the agreement, Software AG and T4CG will market the combined solution. The companies says the benefit of the Software AG – T4CG alliance is that enterprise customers can access and display information from multiple, heterogeneous sources and data formats.
Both firms claim customers will benefit “tremendously” from this type of integration because they can access a wide variety of enterprise data from a single application rather than needing to learn multiple different systems for each data source.
“We are extremely pleased to be recognized by Software AG as a leader in web services and data integration implementations,” said Bob Lytle, chief technology officer of T4 Consulting Group. “We differentiate ourselves by focusing our services only on the best tools available in the marketplace. Software AG’s Tamino native XML Server and the EntireX product suite are examples of such leading-edge products. I’m confident that these powerful technologies will help us to solve a number of our clients’ integration needs.”
A common example of XML data integration would be a large bank with numerous customer records, brokerage information, branch office and ATM information, and market analysis reports. This data is typically stored in heterogeneous formats in varied storage systems and must be accessed by dedicated software applications. A unifying middle-tier can be designed and integrated by T4 Consulting Group to allow access to all of this information via either a single front-end web application or an exposed web-service layer.
“Together with T4 Consulting Group, we are adding value to Tamino users’ experience,” said Lori Williams-Peters, Software AG, Inc.’s vice president of sales. “This alliance will enable Tamino users to more efficiently integrate Tamino-based solutions with new and existing IT infrastructure systems and components.”
Software AG’s Tamino is an XML server that stores structured and unstructured data natively. It can store and process XML data without first converting it to another data format. As a result, response times are faster and require lower administrative efforts than with traditional databases. Three of the largest web application server providers, IBM, BEA, and HP have all selected Tamino as their default XML server. EntireX is a component-based solution for integrating enterprise applications across heterogeneous operating systems.
The T4 Consulting Group founded in 1999 with headquarters at Lansdowne Corporate Park in the Dulles Technology Corridor of Loudoun County, Va. The company provides systems integration and application development.
Since 1998, Aoftware AG has focused its development activities on XML products for the Internet. With about 3,300 employees and representatives in over 70 countries, Software AG had revenue of 589 million euros in 2001. Its distribution and technology partners include market leaders such as IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard as well as IT solutions providers like Tridion and Stellent.