A new version of webMethods Inc.'s integration software supports a popular Java language standard for the first time, which could improve system performance. WebMethods 6, available now, will run program logic written according to Java 2 Enterprise Edition. The software lets companies transform and route data between applications written for different computer systems, so orders from an E-commerce Web site can be automatically booked in a customer-relationship management system, for example.

As these multistep transactional systems become more complex, involving thousands of transactions per second, the ability to run J2EE objects in the integration software--instead of calling a separate application server--can improve performance, chief technical officer Jim Green says. WebMethods 6 includes a bundled version of the JBoss open-source application server, which Green says can lower operating costs by letting administrators manage both packages from one interface.