IBM adds to Express integration offerings

IBM is augmenting its midmarket-aimed Express portfolio, launched a year ago, with a handful of new software products.

IBM is focusing its Express plans around key growth areas for small and midsize businesses, with integration software one of its top priorities, said Mark Ouellette, IBM’s vice president of SMB (small and medium businesses) software sales.

The company this week highlighted two new WebSphere Business Integration-based Express products, an Item Synchronization tool for linking supply-chain data and item information to external registries, and a Connect application for identifying and coordinating with trading partners.

IBM also introduced DB2 Everyplace Express, a less complex version of its infrastructure software for synchronizing data between back-end systems and mobile devices such as phones and handhelds. The Express edition lacks some of the enterprise software’s scalability features, such as cluster support and load-balancing, but offers a more straightforward installation, Ouellette said.

WebSphere Business Integration for Item Synchronization Express has a licensing cost starting at $7,000. A more advanced “plus” version of the software starts at $17,000 and includes additional layers of review and approval processes, as well as the capacity to manage more items. WebSphere Business Integration Connect Express, intended for organizations with up to 1,000 employees, sells for $625 per connection and $625 per server. DB2 Everyplace Express, which competes against Microsoft’s BizTalk Server, is priced at $479 per server and $79 per user.