The first issue of TECHniques for 2012 themed Are you cloud ready? is now available here. 

If you want to check the latest CentraSite articles and tutorials, visit the TECHcommunity wiki.You can add new articles or edit, comment and rate existing ones, once you are logged in as a community member.

For the full list of the latest CentraSite articles and tutorials, please click here

Enter your Brainstorm credentials once… never enter them again!

Single Sign-on to Brainstorm is now live on Empower.  Register for and access Brainstorm -- the place to go to share great ideas for improving our products – directly from Empower.  

Follow these two steps to register for and configure access to Brainstorm. Once completed, go to the Feature Requests in Brainstorm page to access Brainstorm moving forward.  Brainstorm will open automatically in a new window.  Brainstorm content will also be included in your global search results. 
 

Check out the latest issue of TECHniques themed COMMUNITY-DRIVEN:  Discover, Share, and Collaborate

Articles include:

• The new Software AG TECHcommunity
• NaturalONE and our Mainframe World
• B2B Modernization
• Enterprise Architecture – Transform your Application Portfolio
• And more...

Let us know what you think
 

We are pleased to announce the new Software AG TECHcommunity!

• Now members can discover new ideas and assets about ALL major Software AG products in ONE place.
• Through your personalized My TECHcommunity page, you can stay up-to-date on the latest product information without having to join or visit each product community site.
• With new interactive features, you can share your insights and collaborate with colleagues you have personally selected to be part of your professional network.
• Keep track of the wall posts, wiki articles, and comments from community members that are part of your network. Ask questions, chat, and build professional beneficiary relationships to help you achieve your goals.

Jump right in & visit http://communities.softwareag.com today!
 

Software AG is pleased to announce the general availability of webMethods 8.2 SP2 Service Pack. This set of service packs includes fix rolls up for product listed below, certifications, and a couple new products to support the 8.2 platform. The System Requirements document has been updated to reflect the new certifications. The Release Notes document  has also been updated to highlight the changes for this release. 
   
The following products are included in this release:

• CentraSite ActiveSOA
• My webMethods
• webMethods ApplinX
• webMethods Broker
• webMethods Business Events
• webMethods Business Rules
• webMethods Communicate
• webMethods Content Service Platform
• webMethods Deployer
• webMethods Integration Server
• webMethods Mediator
• webMethods OneData
• webMethods Process Engine
• webMethods Trading Networks
   

You can learn more about this release by reading the latest documentation at http://documentation.softwareag.com/

Best regards,
Software AG Product Management
 

This acquisition allows Software AG to provide innovative cloud solutions and dramatically increase the performance and scalability of its Business Process Excellence platform.

Read more at softwareag.com

The latest edition of TECHniques themed Process-Driven IT Modernization - In Line with Business Strategy is now available here.

Announcing Software AG’s vision for cloud computing. We extend the traditional benefits of cloud computing with extreme collaboration to get more people from more places participating in making your company a more effective enterprise.
 

Read more

Date: March 24, 2011
Time: 11:00 am ET/17:00 CET

Featured Speakers:
Randy Heffner, VP and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Manmohan Gupta Director, SOA Solutions Marketing, Software AG
 

Register here
 

Software AG is pleased to announce the availability of the following Language Packs for CentraSite 8.0 SP4:
 

• French Language Pack (FLP)
• German Language Pack (GLP)
   

Visit the Product Globalization Information page at Empower for the latest critical information related to the language packs.

Learn how to increase the business value of your IT architecture using a business process driven approach with these webinars with Forrester Research and Software AG.

A New Roadmap for Modernization: The Process-Driven Mandate for Achieving Business Excellence

Date: March 29, 2011
Time: 11:00 am

Featured Speakers:
Phil Murphy, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Guido Falkenberg, VP Enterprise Transaction Systems, Software AG
 

 Register here

Best Practices for Driving Greater Business Value with SOA

Date: March 24, 2011
Time: 11:00 am ET/17:00 CET

Featured Speakers:
Randy Heffner, VP and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Manmohan Gupta Director, SOA Solutions Marketing, Software AG
 

Register here

Adopting a Process-Driven Approach to Master Data Management

Date: March 30, 2011
Time: 11:00 am ET/17:00 CET

Featured Speakers:
Rob Karel, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Jignesh Shah, VP, SOA Product Management and Marketing, Software AG
 

Register here

Software AG is ranked # 7 in Bloomberg Businessweek's Hot Tech 50 and beats companies such as Oracle, Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, Informatica, Wirpo and more.

The companies were weighted on several scores including sales growth, return on invested capital, and the change in number of employees.
 

Software AG is pleased to announce the First Customer Ship (FCS) of the webMethods 8.2 release.  This FCS release has already reached full customer participation, but if you have an urgent need to preview this release please request access by contacting your webMethods sales representative. This release is now available for download from Empower for the enrolled FCS customers. 

webMethods products for FCS preview include:

• CentraSiteActiveSOA
• My webMethods Server
• Software AG Designer
• webMethods ApplinX
• webMethods Broker
• webMethods Business Rules
• webMethods EntireX
• webMethods ESB/Integration Server
• webMethods Mediator
• webMethods Monitor
• webMethods Optimize for Infrastructure
• webMethods Optimize for Process
• webMethods Process Engine
• webMethods Task Engine
• webMethods Trading Networks

 
A detailed list of features can be found in the release notes and documentation for each of the products. If you have questions about Software AG solutions and services, please contact your account representative. 

User documentation for this release, including the release notes, can be found on the website: http://documentation.softwareag.com/

 
Best Regards,
Software AG Product Management

 

The Winter 2010 issue of TECHniques themed
Get fit for 2011 - Take a Fresh Look at Options is available here.

The Autumn 2010 issue of TECHniques dedicated to leveraging your existing investments is available here.

In the current tough economic climate, you sometimes hear people say how it’s important to make the most of what you have. It’s smart advice that TECHniques follows with this edition, which is focused around how you can leverage your existing IT investments, whether this is enhancing their potential, extending their accessibility or integrating these with other technologies.

We've seen the Software AG Communities increase in size and participation levels over the past few years. However, we are sure there is much we can do to still enhance the Communities you participate in, and now's your chance to have your say! Our Communities Member Survey gives you the opportunity to tell us what you think, suggest ways we can improve the web sites and discussion forums, and make your voice heard.

The survey is active until October 8, 2010. It consists of 19 questions and should only take 5-10 minutes of your time.

Just click here and let us know your thoughts!

Click here to read the "Innovation" themed Spring/Summer 2010 newsletter. Articles include:

• What’s Next for Adabas and Natural?
• Celebrating 30 years of Natural programming language. Now more valuable than ever
• Upgrading to webMethods Version 8.0
• ARIS MashZone...probably the best mashup program in the world
• And much more ...

Reason 1:
You are struggling to get started with your process improvement initiative?
ARISalign helps you to collaborate with everyone who has a "stake" in the process.

Reason 2:
Is it difficult for you to involve business users to get full insight into how a process works?
ARSalign doesn't scare away non-technical users with a complicated toolset

Reason 3:
ARISalign is free of charge!

Find out more at: http://www.arisalign.com/

Process Intelligence is the smartest way to improve your organization’s financial and operational performance. That’s because, with Process Intelligence, you can measure and optimize the processes that run your business daily.

So get smarter about it! Download a FREE copy of Process Intelligence for Dummies here

New Technology Communities Fact Sheet now available. Find out all the benefits here

Software AG's Innovation World and IDS Scheer's ProcessWorld have merged into must-attend customer events for Business Process Excellence - ProcessWorld Berlin on June 8 and 9, and Washington DC on June 22-23!

Processes are everywhere in your organization—from how you manage mission-critical information and how you handle your supply chain to how you build new applications and more. ProcessWorld will address the pressing questions facing all of our customers—across all industries:

• How to operate smarter, better and faster
• How to deliver on your organization’s vision with tight budgets and lean staffing
• How to face business challenges through the optimal use of IT
   

JAM-PACKED AGENDA!
There will be 60 speakers and more than 25 customer success stories, as well as opportunities for knowledge transfer and exchanging ideas with project managers and consulting experts. View agenda.

LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS FROM PRODUCT EXPERTS!
Here is your chance to see new features live, demonstrated by the product experts themselves. Get deep insight into product strategy and roadmap.

IDS SCHEER CONSULTING LOUNGE!
Experience IDS SCHEER CONSULTING—meet up with colleagues, talk to industry experts, and benefit from subject-matter experts in all areas of consulting.

TRAINING DISCOUNTS!
Save 25% on product training with our most popular classes for ARIS and webMethods. View classes.

EVENING EVENT!
Enjoy fabulous food and wonderful entertainment while mixing and mingling with your peers from around the globe. View event information.

Find out more here. 

Coming next month! Book your place at the International User Group Conferences
21st June to 25th June 2010, Prague, Czech Republic

Dedicated days for Adabas, Natural and webMethods users, meet with your peers, and network during the day sessions and evening social events.

Find out more here
 

Check out the first issue of 2010, full of interesting articles for Software AG customers, including:

• The Casbega customer story
• Details of new training courses
• Global Consulting Services assistance with your webMethods upgrade
• Newly released NaturalONE
• Analyst insights
• An On-demand webinar explaining the ARIS/webMethods roadmap

Click here to read this newsletter.
 

Software AG is pleased to announce the availability of the Hebrew Language Pack (HLP) and the Turkish Language Pack (TLP) for CentraSite 8.0.
 
Visit the Product Globalization Information page at Empower for the latest critical information related to the language packs.

Software AG is pleased to announce the General Availability (GA) of version 5.2 of the SecureSpan Gateway product. SecureSpan Gateway Appliance is purpose-built for providing performance and security for services that are exposed over the internet.

This release provides the following capabilities:

• Improved Integration with CentraSite ActiveSOA: SecureSpan automatically gets the latest, greatest and approved version of WSDL, XML Schema and XSLT from CentraSite using subscription based updates. Services and policies created in SecureSpan are governed and managed in CentraSite. SecureSpan Metrics are published into CentraSite on a periodic basis. 
   
• Built-in webMethods Insight agent: webMethods Insight can now provide deep visibility into services hosted on the appliance. 
   
• Central management of multiple SecureSpan appliances: This includes the ability to manage the health and performance of all SecureSpan clusters, set thresholds that spawn alerts based on performance and exceptions. It also includes the ability to copy/migrate configuration and other data across multiple SecureSpan environments.
   
• Patch Management: SecureSpan Administrators have the ability to remotely and selectively update any software installed on the appliance.
   
• Standards Support: SecureSpan now includes support for a wide variety of established and emerging standards such as WS-SecureConversation, WS-Trust and XACML etc.

 
A detailed list of features is found in the release notes and documentation for the product. If you have questions about Software AG solutions and services, please contact your account representative.
 

Best regards,
Software AG Product Management
 

Click here to download a Starter Kit which helps you gain the most from the CentraSite Community Edition 8.0 SP3, including:
 

• Organization Structure
• Custom Taxonomies
• User Personas
• Sample Content – Shared IT Services Org
• Sample Content – E-Commerce, Customer Care Orgs
• Sample Content – Trading Partner Org
• Supporting Documents Library

The latest version of the free-to-download CentraSite Community Edition (8.0 SP3) is now available.
 

Enhancements include:

* Profile Based Security
* Rich Web 2.0 UI
* Improved Impact Analysis
* webMethods Suite Integration

Click here to request your free copy of the new CentraSite Community Edition.

Check out the latest edition of our popular Communities newsletter, TECHniques.

Articles include: 
 

• SOA Management: How can your organization ensure what should happen, does happen?
• The Process-Oriented Organization: Recognizing and Leveraging Potential
• Listening to Customers - how you can provide feedback to Software AG 
   

To read the Winter 2009/2010 edition, click here.

Software AG is pleased to announce the general availability (GA) of version 8.1 of the webMethods Insight product. WebMethods Insight helps customers gain deep visibility into their SOA Architectures, performance monitoring for SOA and minimizes disruptions in your operational infrastructure. 

This release provides the following capabilities:

- Insight now provides an improved agent for Integration Server environments (7.x and 6.5.x). The agent is now capable of capturing plain XML payloads that are sent to the Integration Server.
- Insight now provides out of the box integration with CentraSite ActiveSOA 8.0.3 GA. The integration with ActiveSOA includes the following features:
o Discover rogue services and publish them to CentraSite
o Discover runtime relationships and publish them to CentraSite
o Publish runtime metrics
o Discover consumers and publish them to CentraSite
- Out-of-box agent for Microsoft BizTalk environment.
- Out-of-box agent for SAP ABAP environment. Insight 8.0 enabled users to detect and resolve problems and provide deep visibility in their Java based SAP Netweaver environments. In 8.1, we have expanded this capability to include deep visibility into applications running on the SAP ABAP application server. Insight is now able to provide comprehensive visibility into both Java based and ABAP based distributed SAP environments.

A detailed list of features is found in the release notes and documentation for the product. If you have questions about Software AG solutions and services, please contact your account representative.

A range of demo movie clips are now vieweable and downloadable in the CentraSite Developer Community. Click here to find out more.

Presentations from the recent Software AG SOA Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona are now available to view.

Click here to view the filmed presentations and here to view the PDF presentations.

Software AG is pleased to announce the general availability of CentraSite Governance Edition and webMethods X-Broker Certification on AIX 6.1, DB2 9.1, DB2 9.5 and Oracle 11.1, starting with 7.1 SP2 Fix4 release.

For support with Oracle 11.1 it is recommended to use Oracle 11.1.0.7.0 instead of Oracle 11.1.0.6.0 as the latter throws exceptions while starting CentraSite GE. This is an issue with Oracle 11.1.0.6.0 and not with CentraSite.

This Plug-In allows export of the CentraSite type model to XMI, and import of XMI into CentraSite. It allows the usage of UML modeling tools to manipulate the CentraSite type model. Click here to find out more.
 

We are in deep mourning for our colleague Helmut Bauer who passed away on February 11 2009.

His efforts are the base for the success we have with the Developer Communities, CentraSite Community and discussion forums. Most of the features and services we are taking advantage of today were initiated by Helmut. Until his last days at Software AG Helmut did the utmost to support us with all his expertise. He leaves a big hole and we miss him as skilled colleague, as well as a great person. Because of that and of the fact that his footprint is on most of the things we are doing, we dedicate our work to him.

We will always remember him.
Angelika Siffring
Desislava Petrova
Gerd Schneider
Justin Vaughan-Brown
Robert Diawara
Stephen Wild
 

CentraSite's interoperability using open standards can now be seen in a range of integraton demos in the CentraSite Developer Community. These demos show how leading Enterprise Architecture, Testing and SOA Management vendors integrate with CentraSite to fast-track SOA Governance success. View the demos here.

Software AG is pleased to announce the First Customer Ship (FCS) of CentraSite ActiveSOA. During the FCS period, you may request access to CentraSite ActiveSOA by contacting your Software AG sales representative. This release is now available for download from Advantage (https://advantage.webmethods.com). You can find the release on Advantage at Software Downloads > Download Products > CentraSite ActiveSOA. This new release combines the functionality found in the previous two editions of CentraSite: Governance edition and Enterprise edition. In addition, CentraSite ActiveSOA has numerous new features and enhancements that were made by incorporating feedback from customer implementations. This release does not provide migration from current releases of CentraSite Governance Edition 7.1 and CentraSite Enterprise Edition 3.1.

The highlights of this release include:
• Support for Active Lifecycles to align SOA Governance with IT projects
• Support for Pluggable SOA Federation Framework.
• Ability to define Smart Policies which allows users to define a dynamic scope for a particular policy.
• Rich Web 2.0 style UI along with support for the Eclipse platform.
• Enhanced ability to interactively explore the SOA landscape and understand complex relationships between assets.
• Productivity enhancements which include the ability to define custom lists and smart lists.

A detailed list of features is found in the release notes and documentation for the product. If you have questions about Software AG solutions and services, please contact your account representative.

User documentation for this release, including installation documentation, is located on the website: http://documentation.softwareag.com/webmethods
 

The SOALink Cookbook is a guide to extending and integrating with CentraSite. Download your copy here. This is an initial draft, so please provide comments via the dedicated Cookbook Discussion Forum.

Version 3.1.8 is now available to download. It also includes new German and Japanese language packs, plus several other enhancements. Click  here to download (registration required).

This maintenance release is now available for download from Advantage (https://advantage.webmethods.com). You can find the release on Advantage at Software Downloads > Download Service Packs > CentraSite Governance Edition. 
It includes numerous new features and enhancements. It is now the “reference release” for CentraSite GE. Customers are encouraged to schedule their adoption of 7.1 SP2 as soon as possible in their maintenance cycle. Upgrading to this release involves a simple "install over" procedure.

The highlights of this release include:

• Enhanced Super Admin privileges, enabling users in the Super Admin role to manage users, groups, and roles across organizations
• The ability to transfer assets between organizations
• Enhancements relating to XML Schema/WSDL management  

Find out how an SOA ecosystem of 50 partners work with CentraSite to help deliver end-to-end SOA Governance. Download the Fact Sheet now.

Your feedback makes this Community richer for everyone. Please participate in our latest Poll and tell us what is most useful to you. 

You can also provide your ratings of ongoing  CentraSite Developer Community Discussions.

New Federated Repositories viewlet shows how CentraSite Enterprise Edition can connect multiple registries using the UDDI standard. To download the viewlet, click here.

Software AG  is pleased to announce the availability of CentraSite Community Edition 3.1.7.

You can download this free edition at www.centrasite.com

New free CentraSite Plug-Ins are available for download at CentraSite Developer Community.

• External Link Enhancer Plug-In
• Lifecycle Management Add-Ons Plug-In
• SCA Plug-In
• CVS Plug-In
   

Software AG announces the arrival of the following maintenance releases:

- CentraSite Governance Edition 7.1 SP1
- webMethods X-Broker 7.1 SP1

• CentraSite Governance Edition builds upon the webMethods Infravio X-Registry to deliver the industry’s most complete solution for SOA lifecycle governance
• Expanded focus on guided, automated processes and a more intuitive user interface streamlines adoption, delivers faster enterprise benefits from SOA
• Major enhancements include a richer, more extensible metadata repository, interactive impact analysis and the inclusion of prepackaged best practices and policies
• Industry applauds latest release as Software AG continues to deliver upon the combined product roadmap for webMethods

For futher details see also the press release.

• Inaugural summit ‘sells out’ weeks in advance due to overwhelming demand
• CentraSite and webMethods Infravio users convene to share best practices for creating ‘best-in-class’ approaches for managing SOA
• New federated interoperability initiative set to kick-off at the summit
• Participating partners include CapGemini, AmberPoint, Mega, iLOG, Parasoft, QualiWare and alfabet

 For futher details see also the press release.

• Enhancements to leading SOA registry and repository facilitate more rapid integration of third-party tools for managing Service-Oriented Architecture
• Membership within the CentraSite Community doubles as vendors leverage pre-configuration to deliver “plug & play” interoperability across heterogeneous

 For futher details see also the press release.

• Led by strong organic growth, membership surpasses fifty partners worldwide; new members include BAP Solutions, Casewise, Iona, iTKO, JustSystems, MID, Progress Software, QualiWare and Solstice Software
• Led by Fujitsu and Software AG, the community launches new interoperability initiative

For futher details see also the press release.