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Technology Stocks : Healthcare.com Corporation (Nasdaq: HCDC)was [HDIE] -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jolie Renee who wrote (11211)	2/16/1999 8:29:00 AM
From: Emec	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 15094

Bullish article on middleware and HDIE gets mentioned By Susan L. Thomas, Bridge News San Francisco--Feb 10--In a world where Internet stocks cause investor whiplash, poor Middleware can t even seem to turn an unfamiliar investor's head. It can claim no dotcom and typically its most ardent followers mumble through explanations of what the software actually does. * * * No matter. This month is already proving to be a veritable lovefest for various Middleware companies and the investors who track them. Beginning last week with a slew of announcements at Iona Technologies' Iona World 99 conference, continuing through the Giga Group's Enterprise Application Integration Conference, and BEA Systems' user conference later this month, Middleware promises to thrust itself into the spotlight whether the Web types understand it or not. In fact, apparently like everything else, it's the Web that may even give Middleware the respect some feel it deserves. Businesses are hungry to take advantage of Web-based commerce, and integrating their existing throng of hodge podge software with not only new software but the Web is becoming essential. Iona Technologies calls itself "the world leader in Making Software Work Together." Put simply, that's exactly what Middleware technologies accomplish. In it various forms, Middleware lets the numerous and very different applications running in a business work together. For its part Iona trumpeted its "middleware vision" last week, and unveiled the latest release of its Orbix 3 CORBA middleware product, and a suite of integrated enterprise middleware products called Orbix OTM 3. It even announced the acquisition of a U.K-based business called EJBHome Limited, which develops Enterprise JavaBeans components. To be certain, the product releases seem to be quietly cascading out as of late. Software Technolgies Corp., a privately held company, this week also released a new product called DataCast as part of its DataGate product suite. It was developed and deployed at Europoean financial institutions and combines middleware messaging technology and IP Multicast technology, giving what the business says are "real-time" capabilities suited to the financial services industry. Also just this week Eastman Software Inc. announced it's now shipping its COLD 3.1 product which boasts souped up Web features. The middleware application server is designed to link Web browsers and information from disprate internal systems into either customer service or internal applications. These middleware companies aren't going it alone either. This week Active Software Inc. announced a partnership with MCI WorldCom's technology services company. Active Software's ActiveWorks Integration System will be used for MCI Systemhouse's EnterpriseConnect, a new service suite that features enterprise integration packages for its customers. Active Software by the way announced late last year that the company had garnered an undisclosed investment from Intel and that it would be working with Intel to optimize its software for the Pentium II Xeon processor-based servers as well as the upcoming IA-64 servers. The teaming up continues with a recent announcement from TSI and PeopleSoft. TSI will work with PeopleSoft to offer its Mercatour Enterprise Resource Planning integration product to the PeopleSoft market. What that means is that users of PeopleSoft's vertical human resources application, for example, can access Web applications or other databases and disparate systems. Level 8 technologies too commenced a tender for of 35 cents a share for all outstanding shares of Sheer Technolgioes Inc. last week. Sheer Technologies is a consulting and application development company. Partnerships such as these could become more frequent, as more businesses want to extend their vertical applications out to their suppliers and partners over the Web. The Web, to no one's surprise, certainly will drive the Middleware and so-called "enterprise application integration" markets. Look no further than IBM, which late last month announced it is expanding its MQ Messaging Middleware to make it more Internet friendly. Speaking of the Web, a new Web site sponsored by IBM and Candle Corp. called MessageQ.com launched Tuesday with the explicit goal of providing all the information possible on Enterprise Application Inte gration, which includes the middleware market. According to released statement about the site, industry analysts believe EAI will generate more than $7 billion by 2004. But for this month just stay tuned. BEA Systems has some major announcements tucked secretly under its cuff for its user conference in New Orleans and chances are its partners in the Middleware arena will follow suit. Watch the big companies like IBM and Microsoft, but the smaller mid-sized ones like Interlinq, CrossWorlds Technologies, New Era of Networks, Extricity and Healthdyne Information Enterprise warrant at least some scrutiny as well. Chances are good that when the Middleware lovefests are over at the end of this month, the term will make no more sense to most than it does now. But investors can be sure that the Web is quietly nudging the market along. End Bridge News tel: (415) 835-7648 Send comments to Internet address equity@bridge.com end Feb-10-1999 12:48 GMT Symbols: US;BEAS US;HDIE US;IBM US;INLQ US;INTC US;LEVL US;MSFT US;NEON