InformationWeek

Finally, implementation and maintenance are also critical, as all sorts of problems can arise between prototyping and production. With the exception of Fortý Software Inc., most Web application servers we've seen lack the ability to support the many stages of development and secure deployment, including integration, quality assurance, and staging.

Similarly, many companies will want to leverage their existing system-management utilities-such as Computer Associates' Unicenter, Hewlett-Packard's OpenView, or IBM's Tivoli-but most of the systems we've seen provide only rudimentary integration.

The Vendor Landscape
There are three general classes of vendors that provide Web application servers today: independent vendors, major software and infrastructure vendors, and vendors of object transaction management solutions.

The Web application market space was originally defined by a number of different independent vendors. As far back as five years ago, companies such as Allaire, Bluestone Software, and Haht Software were offering Web application development products that enabled rapid application development for Web-based applications with HTML front ends. Such products were designed for the Web environment from the beginning and, over time, they have matured into extremely robust and full-featured Web application server environments.

A number of other independent vendors have entered the market in recent years, including Intertop, Pervasive Software, SilverStream Software, and Vision Software. In general, these independent vendors aren't flash-in-the-pan garage-shop startups, but well-funded enterprises with strong management teams and solid market strategies. Many independent vendors are carving out specific niches or vertical expertise in order to avoid head-on collisions with larger competitors.

About 18 months ago, the infrastructure vendors and some other large, established software companies started getting into the Web application sever game. Netscape led the charge by acquiring independent Kiva Software. Sun Microsystems followed with the acquisition of NetDynamics. Fortý, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle developed their own offerings.

The entry of the big players into the Web application server market has given the market real legs, and has helped create market awareness for the category. These vendors aren't just looking at Web application servers as a specialty product, but as an integrated component of their larger product lines and "platforms."

For example, the Oracle Application Server is a value-add to the Oracle database repository, and Microsoft's Visual InterDev and Microsoft Transaction Server leverage the Windows NT and Microsoft BackOffice environments-in fact, MTS has become an integrated element of the NT operating system as part of the Windows NT Option Pack.