This issue of Bridging the Gap focuses on two topics that are of great interest and growing importance to most enterprises: Business Process Management (BPM) and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). Questions abound on the subject. What do BPM and SOA mean? Are they two different paradigms or do they converge at some point? How does one get started on implementing the new tools? Are there tangible benefits to be derived from BPM and SOA? In this issue of Bridging the Gap, an attempt is made to answer some of these questions. Fujitsu is closely involved with providing these technologies for the benefit of our customers.

In this issue, we also present our new ETERNUS4000 and ETERNUS8000 storage solution models which offer state-of-the-art technology, and present half-year financial news from Fujitsu Limited. Additionally, we provide a link to a video webcast on The Business Case for Mainframe Modernization, a collaboration between Fujitsu, EDS, and Oracle.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Bridging the Gap, and look forward to receiving any suggestions you might have for future issues.

Richard McCormack
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation