The panelists explore recent progress in building out the infrastructure and application stacks for SOA. Although the tools are coming along, it will take a while for new trends to be adopted by the mainstream. There are business process and security barriers to opening up back-office systems to integration, and smaller players are likely to be more agile than the giants in taking advantage of niche opportunities.
How can large companies adapt? Google has found a success with its search-based consumer services, essentially giving its software away and reaping the rewards as ad revenue. However, this model is unlikely to support the entire industry. Microsoft's Vista will eventually tie the desktop to the web, opening new possibilities for easy access to services supporting collaborative activities in the enterprise.
Despite uncertainty, competition will drive innovation, and the key will be to identify where business intelligence really lies. The panel predicts the industry will see some consolidation and new financial models as the big players, including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, jockey for leadership. The panel ends on an upbeat note, predicting that the next five years are likely to be better than the last.
Dennis Kneale has been Managing Editor of Forbes since May 2000. He had previously held the position of Executive Editor of Forbes since November 1998. He covers telecommunications, health care, drug companies, media and entertainment, and the Internet.
Prior to joining Forbes, Mr. Kneale spent sixteen years with The Wall Street Journal where, most recently, he was Senior Editor of the Technology, Science & Health section. In 1997 he oversaw coverage in The Journal on the breakthrough in AIDS treatment, which won the Pulitzer Prize for National Affairs Reporting.
Mr. Kneale reported for the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel for two years prior to his tenure at The Wall Street Journal. He graduated with a BA in Journalism from the University of Florida (1979).
Bruce Richardson has been analyzing the software market for more than 20 years. Since joining AMR Research in 1988, he has been responsible for spearheading new research directions, contributing to the company's analysis of leading market trends, and presenting AMR's analysis in public forums throughout the world.
Prior to AMR Research, Bruce held senior marketing management positions within the software and networking industries. He currently serves on Mass eComm's Leadership Roundtable Series Advisory Board and is a member of the Boston College Technology Council.
Bruce graduated cum laude from Boston College.
Rick Sherlund is a senior analyst covering the computer software sector in Global Investment Research. He has held this position since joining the firm in 1982. Rick became a partner in 1994 and a managing director in 1996.
In addition to covering the software sector, Rick is also a business unit leader in the Global Investment Research Department co-managing the firm’s Technology Investment Research Group. He has been ranked as the top software analyst on the street for nearly 20 years by the Institutional Investor and Greenwich Surveys.
Prior to joining the firm, Rick worked for two years in public accounting in Los Angeles. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the User Advisory Council for the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), advocating for better financial disclosure and accounting standards to benefit investors.
He received his M.B.A. and B.A. from Cornell in 1978 and 1977, respectively.
Peter Sobiloff joined Insight in 1998 following the sale of Think Systems to i2 Technologies. Immediately prior to joining Insight, he was Vice President of Business Development at i2 Technologies (1997-1998). Mr. Sobiloff was previously President of Think Systems, a supply chain management software company backed by Insight. Prior to this, he was President of Datalogix, a vendor of enterprise application software for process manufacturers, and previously held senior executive roles at Ross Systems, a vendor of financial application software. Mr. Sobiloff guided Datalogix and Ross through their initial public offerings and the sale of Datalogix to Oracle Corporation. He graduated from Baruch University with a degree in Business Administration.
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