BPM and SOA: Introduction to an enterprise-wide solution
The “Why” and the “How” At Fujitsu, we believe that BPM and SOA are joined at the proverbial hip. Let’s use the example of a large financial institution that wanted to automate its process for opening brokerage accounts, thereby reducing the error rates resulting from manually processing these accounts. Developing a scenario that would increase the accuracy (and - by extension - the productivity and cost-effectiveness) of the business process described above is considered Business Process Management. Recognizing the need for implementing a solution was the “why” that drove this financial services heavyweight to invest in a BPM solution. How do you implement a BPM solution so that you can flexibly access a myriad of back-end systems inside and outside the organization to support this business process? The “how” to implement is what SOA is all about. SOA consists of creating standards-based reusable components that benefit multiple applications across the organization. SOA Governance and Management - The “Glue”
As the number of reusable components such as Web Services mushrooms, the ability to easily discover, manage, monitor and analyze the use of these components has become critical. You can’t reuse what you can’t find. Enter the need for SOA Governance and Management solutions. These offerings serve as “stores” for reusable components created inside and outside the enterprise. The chief benefit of these solutions lies in their ability to easily search for and reuse the components and to quickly understand the impact on other applications should you decide to make changes to any of them. This SOA store serves as the DNA for your enterprise. Ingredients for “People-Integration” and “System-Integration” Business people and analysts know their business processes, and IT professionals know their systems and infrastructures. The challenge is for business people to transform their vision into processes that can be easily deployed by IT while leveraging their existing systems and infrastructure without significant rework. At Fujitsu, we believe that you should always start with the existing stores of information and make them accessible to all stakeholders. A combination of BPM and an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) helps you do just that. Together with a SOA Governance and Management solution that serves as the common ground for both business and IT professionals, you have all the ingredients to ensure seamless collaboration on shared processes, resources, and information through a single interface.
Top-Down or Bottom-Up? Where Do I Start? The mandate in most enterprises recently has been to consolidate applications, systems, and IT organizations and to employ SOA projects to achieve this goal. In situations where processes are only dependent on interactions between back-end applications, a bottom-up approach using an ESB such as the Fujitsu Interstage Service Orchestrator might suffice. However, we understand that business processes do not always consist only of applications that need to be integrated; it also requires that people interact with these applications and collaborate across departments to fulfill the business tasks at hand. In these cases, a top-down approach is in order by using a BPM solution such as the Fujitsu Interstage Business Process Manager. The true benefits of SOA-enabled BPM are achieved when top-down meets bottom-up with an SOA Governance and Management solution such as CentraSite, which serves to seamlessly join the two.
The Sum of It All: Collaboration Between People Made Simple The end goal of any BPM or SOA initiative is to improve the communication and processes within an enterprise to help deliver superior products and services to its end customers. Better collaboration and communication on objectives, processes, implementation plans, and optimization efforts between business and IT professionals through the use of BPM and SOA technology contributes to the bottom line. Fujitsu remains committed to helping its customers and partners achieve that goal. For more information on the Fujitsu Interstage offerings for BPM and SOA, visit us at www.fujitsu.com/interstage, or contact us through Interstage@us.fujitsu.com.
New ETERNUS storage system models offer wide range of configurations
On September 26, Fujitsu Computer Systems announced the 4th generation ETERNUS Storage Systems. The new ETERNUS4000 and ETERNUS8000 are both equipped with end-to-end 4Gbps fibre channel interface with state of the art technologies, such as disk data encryption for security and MAID capability for energy conservation.
ETERNUS4000 is a Mid Range modular disk array. Model100 is the entry model for small configurations, while Model300 and Model500 have superior scalability in terms of both capacity and performance to cover the wide range of customer requirements in today's IT environment.
ETERNUS8000 is the Enterprise class disk array. Model900/1100 are designed and priced to bridge the gap that exists today between High End monolithic disk arrays and Mid Range disk arrays, whereas the top-of-the-line Model2100 provides the world's largest capacity of 1.38PB with 2,760 disk drives.
Using ETERNUS SF storage management software in combination with these ETERNUS storage systems ensures business continuity and low TCO by providing online disk-to-disk backup/restore as well as ease of storage management.
For additional information about the new ETERNUS Storage Systems, Storage Virtualization, and Storage Management software, go to http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/www/products_storage.shtml?products/storage/fujitsu/index
Fujitsu LifeBook T4210 Tablet PC ranked in top 5 of durable machines
In the November issue of LAPTOP magazine, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4210 was named one of the top five laptops in terms of durability. In an article entitled “Laptops: Built to Last”, writer Jeffrey L. Wilson points out that “today's notebooks are regularly used in non-traditional environments that weren't commonplace even five years ago, such as in a car, train, or even outdoors. If you're going to invest a chunk of your earnings in a laptop, it may as well be one that can withstand the rigors of the daily commute or the standard lumps, bumps, and spills of on-the-go use.”
The article goes on to say that “while Fujitsu doesn't utilize a snazzy name for its umbrella of protective features, this vendor places a strong emphasis on build quality. ‘Quality and reliability are key features of the LifeBook line, which may exclude us from some of the lower brands,’ stated Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu, ‘Part of what the customer is purchasing when they buy a Fujitsu notebook is durability.’ The company employs a hard disk security system that includes two levels of shock mounting and data-securing G-Force accelerometers that withdraw the drive heads when the system detects a free fall, vibration, or sudden impact. Protective magnesium alloy housing safeguards the LCD and lower enclosure from impact damage.”
To read the full article, go to http://laptopmag.com/Features/Built-to-Last.htm
Fujitsu case studies reflect customer satisfaction
A company that doesn’t keep its customers happy won’t be in business very long. Fujitsu has been around for over 70 years, and - based on customer satisfaction and success with our products - we’ll be around for a long time to come. To read some of the success stories associated with the wide range of Fujitsu products, please visit the Fujitsu Case Studies web page at http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/www/about.shtml?aboutus/casestudies/index
Fujitsu H1 profit outlook up, maintains 06/07 forecast
(Reuters) On October 23, Fujitsu Limited raised its half-year group operating profit outlook by 45 percent on based on improved sales of hard disk drives and network devices, as well as increased revenues from building computer systems for business. The revision is the second this year by Fujitsu, which is racking up sales growth on higher spending in Japan on information technology equipment. Fujitsu kept its full-year operating profit forecast of 190 billion yen.
Revenues usually surge at the end of the business year in March, making forecasting difficult, said Eisuke Sato, a Fujitsu spokesman. Analysts say Fujitsu's annual estimate is conservative, and the outlook is below a market consensus of 203 billion yen by 19 analysts polled by Reuters. "If Fujitsu's profitability on its domestic services business is improving significantly, this may change our view on the company," Morgan Stanley's Naoki Sato said in a report. Sato kept his rating on Fujitsu at "equal weight" after the announcement.
Fujitsu raised its operating profit forecast for the April-September period to about 50.6 billion yen ($426 million), up from its July target of 35 billion yen. The company, which competes with IBM and Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) in the computer and software services business, also raised its first-half net profit forecast to about 14.8 billion yen, up from its earlier projection of 5 billion yen.
"The numbers are good," said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments. "I think it will be a positive for the stock price. While the numbers themselves, the levels of profit, are relatively low, this is a big upward revision." The company, which aims to become one of the world's top three makers of hard disk drives (an industry now led by Seagate Technology), has been aggressively cutting production costs and seeking out clients such as Dell Inc.
Fujitsu Notebook PC Battery Exchange Program
On October 24, 2006, in Japan, a battery pack manufactured by Sony that was installed in a Fujitsu mobile computer (a Japanese market model equivalent to the Fujitsu LifeBook® model P7120 notebook PC sold in the United States) overheated and damaged the computer. Fujitsu Limited’s press release with further details in the English language have been posted at: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/ The cause is under investigation, but because the Sony battery within the LifeBook P7120 notebook PC is subject to the previously announced U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Sony Battery Recall program ( http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07011.html ), customers with LifeBook P7120 notebook PCs and all other LifeBook models included in this recall are advised to continue using their Fujitsu notebook PC safely only after turning the system off, ejecting the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord originally supplied with the LifeBook to power the system until their replacement battery is received. Fujitsu sold or provided these batteries from June 2005 through October 2006. The recalled batteries were sold with the following Fujitsu notebook PCs: C1320D, P1510/P1510D, P7120/P7120D, Q2010, S7020/S7020D, and the T4210*. Additional recalled batteries were sold as accessories for use in the aforementioned models, with the following part numbers shown on the battery: CP229720-01, CP229725-01, CP234003-01, CP234019-01, CP255100-01, CP255108-01, CP267910-01, CP267915-01, CP283030-01 and CP293420-01. Not all notebook PCs listed above will have affected batteries. Customers with a notebook model listed above should contact Fujitsu either at the Fujitsu Computer Systems web site at http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/battery or call toll-free at 1-800-8FUJITSU. Customers can also write to Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Attn: Battery Recall, .
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What’s Your Legacy? The Business Case for Mainframe Modernization
Modernization sounds good in theory, but what’s the compelling business case for upgrading these legacy systems and re-skilling the staff? Gain new insights and strategies by viewing a video webcast sponsored by Intel, EDS, Fujitsu and Oracle. The program features Diane Bryant of Intel, Tom Egan of EDS and Richard McCormack of Fujitsu, and is moderated by CXO Media executive editor Tom Field. This 30-minute video webcast is part of IDG's Next Generation IT Insights series. No registration required! Click here for immediate access: