Microsoft Seeks Vertical Markets With BizTalk

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January 24, 2001 (5:47 AM EST)

Microsoft Seeks Vertical Markets With BizTalk

Microsoft, focusing on ease of use as a major strength of its BizTalk integration server, plans to release by early next quarter pre-built kits that help configure the product for a particular vertical market.

The BizTalk Server 2000, which started shipping earlier this month, includes an orchestration designer tool that enables a user to create a visual representation of a business process, which could include moving a purchase order to ERP systems and requesting approval by business managers through e-mail. The server executes the business process.

To quicken the design process, Microsoft Corp. (stock: MSFT) will offer vertical kits that include pre-built adapters, business processes, and XML-based document frameworks for specific vertical industries, said David Wascha, BizTalk product manager. Wascha said users will be able to easily import the kits' components into BizTalk and access them through the orchestration designer. He said the first kits will target a couple of markets and will be available by early next quarter, though he would not identify the markets.

"Wherever we can make it easier to build something [in BizTalk], we'll do it," he said.

However, Shawn Willett, an industry analyst at Current Analysis, Oakland, Calif., said Microsoft's biggest obstacle in selling BizTalk will be the heated competitive market. Other vendors, such as WebMethods Inc. (stock: WEBM), have been shipping XML-based integration servers for more than a year.

"A lot of vendors have come out with these ease-of-use improvements," Willett said.

In addition, WebMethods and others who have been in the market longer than Microsoft have had more time to build adapters for their products to various ERP and legacy systems.

Wascha said Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., plans to let third-party companies build adapters for BizTalk, which ships with a software development kit for building connectors.