IBM is set to announce on Wednesday a set of services geared at boosting its services-oriented architecture (SOA) consulting services and products.
The company has devised an assessment tool that allows companies to compare the efficiency of their business processes with others in their own field.
It also has developed a program that allows end users to adjust which indicators they like to track how their business is performing, such as how quickly orders are fulfilled.
These SOA consulting offerings and IBM's WebSphere tools include information that has been customized to particular industries including banking, health care, telecommunications and insurance.
SOA describes a way of designing software systems to be modular and flexible. IBM is investing heavily in SOA technology through acquisitions, and it has developed a whole line of specific SOA services.
