IBM’s SOA Business Partner program was set up in June 2005 to bring together consultants, systems integrators and resellers into a tight-knit community by giving them shared access to SOA tools and resources.
That community has now expanded from to over 4,200 members and has resulted in the development of over 4,600 or so reusable web services that are included in the SOA Business Catalog, an online directory of SOA code and best practices.
IBM has now enhanced the user interface of that Catalog using Web 2.0 collaboration and community building tools, offering new features like customer ratings and reviews. The aim is to give IBM customers, business partners and sales reps greater visibility into their SOA relationships.
IBM has also built a new WebSphere Knowledge Center which it says provides a one-stop resource about WebSphere SOA tools and development strategies. It also includes Webcasts, Podcasts and demos from IBM.
IBM has also teamed up with various partners to deliver one day SOA workshops, something it refers to as localized SOA events. IBM plans to hold the workshops, themed under the moniker Impact Comes to You, at over 65 locations worldwide. The workshops will be staffed and run by IBM and its business partners.
Finally, IBM has also improved access to its Virtual Innovation Center, which provides technical development, sales assistance, training programs and 24×7 support to SOA customers. Included is a new SOA Zone that catalogs the latest SOA offerings from across the company, Japanese tutorials for WebSphere application server, Everyplace and MQ platforms and a brand new certification preparation area for conducting practice tests.
