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by Dr. Richard Northing
Vice President of Technology and Operations for Intraware, Inc.
Given the continual and increasingly frequent updates, bug fixes, patches, and release notifications affecting virtually all enterprise-class business software, vendors and their customers are actively seeking more cost-effective and timely processes for efficient software distribution. The time-consuming and costly hassle of physically shipping and storing software is fostering new approaches to Web-based software distribution and IT management.
While client-side, shrink-wrapped software has started to take advantage of electronic software distribution (ESD), server-side enterprise-class software has lagged behind for a variety of reasons including security issues, unacceptably lengthy download times, versioning control problems, and the increasing complexity of tracking update histories.
It is a fact of life in the ultra-competitive software industry that upgrades or new releases are continuously rolled out every few months. Developers rush to add new functionality and expand capabilities to stay ahead of the curve. At the same time, IT managers and their staffs are hard pressed to keep pace with the accelerating rate of change affecting their most strategic enterprise-class software. The typical 60-hours-a-week IT manager simply doesn't have the time to surf vendor sites or scan through piles of trade magazines in order to stay on top of the latest releases and upgrades.
How then does IT management execute a Web-based software distribution strategy with key vendors to ensure it is working with the most current releases? Increasingly, it is being done through independent third-party firms that provide software sales, support and a host of other specialized services tailored to the distinct needs of IT professionals.
These business-to-business e-commerce providers supply comprehensive IT information, software upgrade news and interactive research services directly to IT departments through proactive email updates and personalized websites. The service provider gathers product updates and news directly from vendors and passes on email notices that are customized around a client's installed software base, taking into account specific products, versions, and platforms. IT professionals no longer have to sift through pages of literature or seek out new product updates from vendors. They get the news they need-and only the news they need-delivered directly to their desktop. Every time there is a new release, patch or update, an email notification is delivered that explains the situation and provides links to a personal release archive on the client's personal website hosted on the service provider's server.
These customized web sites play a crucial role for IT departments that are working with the new online business-to-business service providers. First, they act as personalized software archives. IT departments can store a complete library of software releases and licenses online, simplifying organization by eliminating the need to keep and manage hundreds of individual CDs and the accompanying paperwork. New patches or upgrades are immediately posted for download by the service provider-there's no need to contact vendors or send for CDs.
Tracking mechanisms monitor all software notifications and download activity, preserving the integrity of version control and giving IT managers a historical accounting of application changes. Multiple levels of account authorization enable managers to restrict access to software and information to appropriate individuals. In addition, download files and license keys are compressed and encrypted to ensure the tightest security. The release archive offers complete control over the update process, plus protection against lost or corrupted files.
Some service providers are exploiting the web's interactive capabilities to create advanced features on these customized websites, such as administration consoles that allow users to assign account authorization, add or delete contacts, create groups and send messages. Such flexible features enable users to improve the flow of information within the IT department, and better manage the update process across the organization. The ability to post internal notes ensures that important individuals are informed of outstanding download or release issues, and costly mistakes are avoided. In addition, all of these online services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Advanced web-based communication and management services can be quite valuable for busy IT professionals, but the primary benefit provided by the online business-to-business software services is the ability to access and download software files at will. As mentioned above, the consumer software market has led the way in taking advantage of ESD, while server-side enterprise-class software has been slower to migrate online because of security issues and lack of bandwidth to support quick delivery. Online software service providers, however, are quickly overcoming these issues. The more powerful ESD engines are capable of delivering 4GB files-large enough for the most sophisticated enterprise-scale applications. Furthermore, sophisticated access control and corporate administration features such as automatic retry ensure that downloads are executed successfully.
Many developers of enterprise-scale systems-including such notables as PeopleSoft and Sun/Netscape-are recognizing the advantages of ESD and online application management. Sharply reduced distribution costs and improved customer satisfaction are two benefits that can be immediately realized by migrating to a web-based business model. Just as the Internet has brought about a sea change in the way computer hardware is bought and sold, so is it revolutionizing the distribution and management of server-side enterprise-class business software.
