BEA Systems
Encyclopedia
BEA Systems, Inc. specialized in enterprise infrastructure software products known as "middleware
", which connect software applications to database
s and was acquired by Oracle Corporation
on April 29, 2008.
company, founded in 1995 and headquartered in San Jose, California
. It grew to have 78 offices worldwide at the time of its acquisition by Oracle.
The company's name is an acronym of the first names of the company's three founders: Bill Coleman
, Ed Scott
and Alfred Chuang
. All were former employees of Sun Microsystems
, and launched the business in 1995 by acquiring Information Management and Independence Technologies. These firms were the largest resellers of Tuxedo
, a distributed transaction management system sold by Novell
. BEA soon acquired the Tuxedo product itself, and went on to acquire other middleware
companies and products, including ObjectBroker
and NCR's
Top End product.
In 1998, BEA acquired the San Francisco start-up WebLogic
, which had built the first standards-based Java application server. WebLogic's application server became the impetus for the Sun Microsystems' J2EE
specification and formed the basis of BEA's WebLogic application server sold today.
In 2005, BEA launched a new brand identity with the slogan "Think Liquid". BEA also announced a new product line called AquaLogic
, which is an infrastructure software family for service-oriented architecture
(SOA). The same year, it made its entrance into telecommunications infrastructure through the acquisition of Incomit
, a Swedish telecommunications software provider . In late 2005 the company announced the acquisitions of Compoze Software, a provider of collaboration software, M7, an Eclipse
-based tools company, and SolarMetric, editors of the Kodo persistence
engine.
The acquisitions continued in 2006 with Plumtree Software
, an enterprise portal company; Fuego, a business process management
(BPM) software company; and Flashline, a metadata
repository company. These acquisitions have since become parts of the AquaLogic SOA product stack.
On October 12, 2007, Oracle
announced their intent to buy BEA Systems for $
6.7 billion. As a result of the offer, BEA's stock price rose over five dollars upon the opening of trading for the day. BEA turned the offer down the same day, saying that the company is "worth substantially more". On January 16, 2008 Oracle
signed a definite agreement to buy BEA for $8.5 billion. It is believed that Carl Icahn
, one of the company's most prominent shareholders, was the main reason that the deal happened.
On April 29, 2008 Oracle
completed its acquisition of BEA
. As of 2008, Alfred Chuang is still with the company.
net income reached $208.2 million.
BEA started out with the Tuxedo
software product, but the products they are best known for in the computer industry are the WebLogic product family
, which consists of WebLogic Server, WebLogic Workshop, WebLogic Portal, WebLogic Integration and JRockit
. In 2005, BEA launched a new product family called AquaLogic for service-oriented architecture
deployment. They have also entered the telecommunications field with their WebLogic Communications Platform, which includes WebLogic SIP Server and WebLogic Network Gatekeeper, technologies obtained through the acquisition of Swedish telecommunications software company Incomit
. BEA also has a product offering for the RFID market called the BEA WebLogic RFID Product Family.
). It includes following products:
Middleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
", which connect software applications to database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s and was acquired by Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
on April 29, 2008.
History
BEA began as a computer softwareComputer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
company, founded in 1995 and headquartered in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. It grew to have 78 offices worldwide at the time of its acquisition by Oracle.
The company's name is an acronym of the first names of the company's three founders: Bill Coleman
William T. Coleman III
William T. "Bill" Coleman III is a Partner at Alsop Louie Partners. He has been recognized as having been the founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Cassatt Corporation and has been the Director at Symantec Corporation since 2003.-Education:...
, Ed Scott
Edward W. Scott
Edward W. "Ed" Scott, Jr. is an American businessman, philanthropist, and former senior United States government official. Along with Bill Coleman and Alfred Chuang, he founded enterprise software company BEA Systems....
and Alfred Chuang
Alfred Chuang
Alfred S. Chuang was the founder, chairman, CEO and president of BEA Systems until it was purchased by Oracle in April 2008. Prior to founding BEA, Chuang worked at Sun Microsystems.Chuang received a B.S...
. All were former employees of Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, and launched the business in 1995 by acquiring Information Management and Independence Technologies. These firms were the largest resellers of Tuxedo
Tuxedo (software)
Tuxedo is a middleware platform used to manage distributed transaction processing in distributed computing environments...
, a distributed transaction management system sold by Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
. BEA soon acquired the Tuxedo product itself, and went on to acquire other middleware
Middleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
companies and products, including ObjectBroker
ObjectBroker
ObjectBroker is A distributed object system from DEC based on the CORBA standard....
and NCR's
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation is an American technology company specializing in kiosk products for the retail, financial, travel, healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check...
Top End product.
In 1998, BEA acquired the San Francisco start-up WebLogic
WebLogic (company)
WebLogic was a company credited with creating the first J2EE application server, the WebLogic Application Server.- History :...
, which had built the first standards-based Java application server. WebLogic's application server became the impetus for the Sun Microsystems' J2EE
Java Platform, Enterprise Edition
Java Platform, Enterprise Edition or Java EE is widely used platform for server programming in the Java programming language. The Java platform differs from the Java Standard Edition Platform in that it adds libraries which provide functionality to deploy fault-tolerant, distributed, multi-tier...
specification and formed the basis of BEA's WebLogic application server sold today.
In 2005, BEA launched a new brand identity with the slogan "Think Liquid". BEA also announced a new product line called AquaLogic
AquaLogic
In computing, AquaLogic comprised a software suite developed by BEA Systems for managing service-oriented architecture . Following the acquisition of BEA by Oracle Corporation in April 2008, most of the software have been renamed and the term AquaLogic is not used in any new Oracle product. New...
, which is an infrastructure software family for service-oriented architecture
Service-oriented architecture
In software engineering, a Service-Oriented Architecture is a set of principles and methodologies for designing and developing software in the form of interoperable services. These services are well-defined business functionalities that are built as software components that can be reused for...
(SOA). The same year, it made its entrance into telecommunications infrastructure through the acquisition of Incomit
Incomit
Incomit is a Swedish telecommunications software company founded in 2000 by Semir Mahjoub, Thomas Gronberg and Anders Lunquist. The company provided software that integrated telecommunications network technology with Internet based application software...
, a Swedish telecommunications software provider . In late 2005 the company announced the acquisitions of Compoze Software, a provider of collaboration software, M7, an Eclipse
Eclipse (software)
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
-based tools company, and SolarMetric, editors of the Kodo persistence
Persistence (computer science)
Persistence in computer science refers to the characteristic of state that outlives the process that created it. Without this capability, state would only exist in RAM, and would be lost when this RAM loses power, such as a computer shutdown....
engine.
The acquisitions continued in 2006 with Plumtree Software
Plumtree Software
Plumtree Software is a former software company founded in 1996 by product managers and engineers from Oracle and Informix with funding from Sequoia Capital. The company was a pioneer of extending the portal concept popularized by Yahoo! from the web to enterprise computing. BEA Systems acquired...
, an enterprise portal company; Fuego, a business process management
Business process management
Business process management is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. BPM attempts to...
(BPM) software company; and Flashline, a metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
repository company. These acquisitions have since become parts of the AquaLogic SOA product stack.
On October 12, 2007, Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
announced their intent to buy BEA Systems for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
6.7 billion. As a result of the offer, BEA's stock price rose over five dollars upon the opening of trading for the day. BEA turned the offer down the same day, saying that the company is "worth substantially more". On January 16, 2008 Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
signed a definite agreement to buy BEA for $8.5 billion. It is believed that Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn
Carl Celian Icahn is an American business magnate and investor.-Biography:Icahn was raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York City, where he attended Far Rockaway High School. His father was a cantor, his mother was a schoolteacher...
, one of the company's most prominent shareholders, was the main reason that the deal happened.
On April 29, 2008 Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
completed its acquisition of BEA
. As of 2008, Alfred Chuang is still with the company.
Financial results
In January 2008, BEA Systems closed out its fiscal year 2008 with $1.535bn in revenues, 10% higher than the previous year. GAAPGenerally Accepted Accounting Principles
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction; generally known as accounting standards...
net income reached $208.2 million.
Products
BEA had three major product lines:- TuxedoTuxedo (software)Tuxedo is a middleware platform used to manage distributed transaction processing in distributed computing environments...
- transaction-oriented middleware platform - BEA Weblogic, now Oracle Weblogic ServerOracle Weblogic ServerOwned by Oracle Corporation, Oracle WebLogic consists of a Java EE platform product-family that includes:* a Java EE application server, WebLogic Application Server* an enterprise portal, WebLogic Portal* an Enterprise Application Integration platform...
- Java EEJava Platform, Enterprise EditionJava Platform, Enterprise Edition or Java EE is widely used platform for server programming in the Java programming language. The Java platform differs from the Java Standard Edition Platform in that it adds libraries which provide functionality to deploy fault-tolerant, distributed, multi-tier...
enterprise infrastructure platform - AquaLogicAquaLogicIn computing, AquaLogic comprised a software suite developed by BEA Systems for managing service-oriented architecture . Following the acquisition of BEA by Oracle Corporation in April 2008, most of the software have been renamed and the term AquaLogic is not used in any new Oracle product. New...
, now Oracle Service Bus - Service-Oriented Architecture (SOAService-oriented architectureIn software engineering, a Service-Oriented Architecture is a set of principles and methodologies for designing and developing software in the form of interoperable services. These services are well-defined business functionalities that are built as software components that can be reused for...
) platform
BEA started out with the Tuxedo
Tuxedo (software)
Tuxedo is a middleware platform used to manage distributed transaction processing in distributed computing environments...
software product, but the products they are best known for in the computer industry are the WebLogic product family
Oracle Weblogic Server
Owned by Oracle Corporation, Oracle WebLogic consists of a Java EE platform product-family that includes:* a Java EE application server, WebLogic Application Server* an enterprise portal, WebLogic Portal* an Enterprise Application Integration platform...
, which consists of WebLogic Server, WebLogic Workshop, WebLogic Portal, WebLogic Integration and JRockit
JRockit
JRockit, a proprietary Java Virtual Machine originally developed by Appeal Virtual Machines and acquired by BEA Systems in 2002, became part of Oracle Fusion Middleware in 2008....
. In 2005, BEA launched a new product family called AquaLogic for service-oriented architecture
Service-oriented architecture
In software engineering, a Service-Oriented Architecture is a set of principles and methodologies for designing and developing software in the form of interoperable services. These services are well-defined business functionalities that are built as software components that can be reused for...
deployment. They have also entered the telecommunications field with their WebLogic Communications Platform, which includes WebLogic SIP Server and WebLogic Network Gatekeeper, technologies obtained through the acquisition of Swedish telecommunications software company Incomit
Incomit
Incomit is a Swedish telecommunications software company founded in 2000 by Semir Mahjoub, Thomas Gronberg and Anders Lunquist. The company provided software that integrated telecommunications network technology with Internet based application software...
. BEA also has a product offering for the RFID market called the BEA WebLogic RFID Product Family.
AquaLogic
BEA Systems produced the AquaLogic software suite for managing service-oriented architecture (SOAService-oriented architecture
In software engineering, a Service-Oriented Architecture is a set of principles and methodologies for designing and developing software in the form of interoperable services. These services are well-defined business functionalities that are built as software components that can be reused for...
). It includes following products:
- BEA AquaLogic BPM suite, a set of business process managementBusiness process managementBusiness process management is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. BPM attempts to...
(BPM) tools. It combines workflow and process technology with enterprise application integration functionality. The suite consists of tools aimed for line of business personnel for creating business process models (AquaLogic BPM Designer), as well as tools for IT personnel to create actual business process applications directly from said models (AquaLogic BPM Studio). The completed business process applications are deployed on a production server (AquaLogic BPM Enterprise Server), from which they integrate to backend applications and generate portal views for human interactions in the process. It also comes with a customizable tools for live business activity monitoringBusiness activity monitoringBusiness activity monitoring is software that aids in monitoring of business activities, as those activities are implemented in computer systems....
(BAM). - BEA AquaLogic User Interaction, a set of tools used to create portals, collaborative communities composite applications and other applications that use service architecture. These technologies work cross-platform. This technology came to BEA Systems from its acquisition of Plumtree Software.
- BEA AquaLogic Enterprise Repository, a vital element of effective Service-oriented architecture life cycle governance, manages the metadataMetadataThe term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
for any type of software asset, from business processBusiness processA business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...
es and web serviceWeb serviceA Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s to patterns, frameworks, applications, and components. It maps the relationships and interdependencies that connect these assets to improve impact analysis, promote and systematize code reuseCode reuseCode reuse, also called software reuse, is the use of existing software, or software knowledge, to build new software.-Overview:Ad hoc code reuse has been practiced from the earliest days of programming. Programmers have always reused sections of code, templates, functions, and procedures...
, and measure the impact on the bottom line. - BEA AquaLogic Service Bus, an enterprise service busEnterprise service busAn enterprise service bus is a software architecture model used for designing and implementing the interaction and communication between mutually interacting software applications in Service Oriented Architecture...
(ESB) with operational service-management that allows the interaction between services, routing relationships, transformations, and policies. - BEA AquaLogic Service Registry, a UDDIUniversal Description Discovery and IntegrationUniversal Description, Discovery and Integration is a platform-independent, Extensible Markup Language -based registry for businesses worldwide to list themselves on the Internet and a mechanism to register and locate web service applications...
v3 registry with an embedded governance framework. It provides a repository where services can be registered and reused for developing or modifying applications. - BEA AquaLogic Data Services Platform (previously known as Liquid Data), providing tools for creating and managing different data services. It uses the XQueryXQuery- Features :XQuery provides the means to extract and manipulate data from XML documents or any data source that can be viewed as XML, such as relational databases or office documents....
language for data composition and transformation for a variety of data sources, including relational databaseRelational databaseA relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
s and web serviceWeb serviceA Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s. - BEA AquaLogic Enterprise Security, a security infrastructure application for distributed authentication, fine-grained entitlements and other security services. Features include allowing users to define access rules for applications without modifying the software itself, including JSP pages, EJBs and portlets.
External links
- BEA Systems - World Website
- BEA YouTube Channel
- Logical progression, insight into BEA Systems at CBRonline.com (2001)