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Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) Approved as OASIS Standard

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The OASIS e-business standards consortium has announced the approval of Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. WSDM enables management applications to be built using Web services, allowing resources to be controlled by many managers through a single interface. This development marks a significant milestone in the management of business systems, particularly for resource providers, management software vendors, and their customers. The industry has been wrestling with the complexity of managing business systems for years, and WSDM offers a key to solving this long-standing pain point.

Key Takeaways:

  • WSDM enables management applications to be built using Web services, allowing resources to be controlled by many managers through a single interface.
  • The WSDM OASIS Standard was developed by members of the OASIS WSDM Technical Committee, including representatives from Actional, BEA Systems, BMC Software, Computer Associates, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Novell, TIBCO, and others.
  • The standard provides a framework for integrating heterogeneous resources into heterogeneous management software using heterogeneous protocols and platforms.
  • IBM, in particular, has emphasized the importance of WSDM in enabling IT professionals to concentrate on business issues and innovation, rather than system management burdens.
  • DataPower has praised WSDM, stating that it breaks the lock-in between the managed node and the management server, allowing for on-demand management.
  • HP has actively supported the WSDM work from the start, submitting the Web Services Management Framework as input for the technical committee.
  • TIBCO views WSDM as an essential conduit to bridge the gap between IT Asset management and Business Process Management (BPM).
  • The adoption of WSDM will simplify the management of existing solutions as well as future applications that are planned to be included in Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).
  • WSDM will provide a common approach to the management of complex IT infrastructures, greatly reducing system management burdens.
  • OASIS has an open mail list for public comment and the wsdm-dev mailing list for exchanging information on implementing the standard.

Statistics:

  • Over 600 organizations and 4,000 participants are members of OASIS, which has been a not-for-profit, international consortium driving the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards since 1993.
  • WSDM consists of two specifications: Management Using Web Services (MUWS) and Management Of Web Services (MOWS).
  • IBM has stated that many of its customers have already experienced substantial business benefits from initial SOA deployments.
  • DataPower was one of the first Web services security vendors to implement an early version of WSDM in 2003.
  • Fujitsu plans to implement the WSDM specifications and will provide products reflecting the WSDM V1.0 specifications along with the enhanced capabilities expected from the future work of the OASIS WSDM Technical Committee.

Sources:

  • Cameron Haight, Research Vice President, Gartner, Inc.
  • Heather Kreger of IBM, co-chair of the OASIS WSDM Technical Committee.
  • Winston Bumpus of Dell, co-chair of the OASIS WSDM Technical Committee.
  • Patrick Gannon, president and CEO of OASIS.
  • Muhi Majzoub, CA's vice president of development.
  • Eugene Kuznetsov, CTO and Chairman of DataPower.
  • Seigo Hirosue, General Manager, Strategy and Technology Division, Software Group, Fujitsu Limited.
  • Mark Potts, CTO of HP Management Software.
  • Karla Norsworthy, vice president, IBM Software Standards.
  • Matt Quinn, Vice President, Product Strategy, TIBCO Software Inc.
  • OASIS WSDM Technical Committee: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/wsdm
  • WSDM FAQ: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/wsdm/faq.php
  • Cover Pages Technology Report: http://xml.coverpages.org/computingResourceManagement.html
  • About OASIS: OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards.

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