IBM’s alphaWorks emerging technologies Web site now contains four ISV developer tools tied to its
middleware portfolio for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMB) Wednesday.
The Armonk, N.Y., IT giant has earmarked $1 billion for
software developers who make applications for them. IBM considers alphaWorks software
code for future development. And although the code is pre-beta with all the “as-is”
caveats, developers can
download the software after registering
on the site.
The most recent SMB additions include:
- VitalFile for Real-Time Workstation Protection, which is built on top of the
FilePath file system filter driver and makes three copies of any modified
“user-created” file, storing one in the local system, another in a file
server and a third in a Tivoli Storage Manager back-up server. - VitalFile for Simplified Document Retention, a document retention
program that allows users to retain files for a specified
amount of time before it can be altered or deleted. - Industry Process Accelerator for Business Intelligence, an OLAP-based
modeling application for creating business intelligence (BI)
templates in the workplace. - Framework for Application Data and Sources, an application that
exposes Java interfaces defining application data and its format, as well as
where it should be written or read from. The framework cuts down on
programming time by acting as an application simulator with business logic
as the only input to run.
According to Marc Goubert, IBM alphaWorks senior manager, the four
alphaWorks programs take some of the software development time out of the
process.
“This latest release of software tools allows our partners to spend less time
worrying about developing technology to free up more time for innovating and
focusing on the strategic business objectives of their mid-market
customers,” he said in a statement. “By leveraging emerging technologies
showcased on our Web site, IBM developers and solution providers can get
their tools to market faster and increase return on investment.
Since March, the Armonk, N.Y., company has been putting a lot of emphasis on
its ISV members, called IBM Business Partners, who create the end-user
applications that integrate with IBM’s middleware.
Last month, the company
relaxed membership requirements
to its ISV PartnerWorld
network, a community first started in March.