JBoss A-MQ 6.0 and JBoss Fuse 6.0 enable Intelligent Integration Everywhere

Today, Red Hat announced the availability of JBoss A-MQ, a small footprint and standards-based messaging platform, and JBoss Fuse, a small footprint and standards-based integration platform. These products are based on technology acquired through the purchase of FuseSource in Sept. 2012 and expand the Red Hat JBoss Middleware product line to deliver intelligent integration beyond the data center. In other words, we want to help bring intelligent integration everywhere.

Previous Red Hat blog posts have articulated the benefits of the Intelligent, Integrated Enterprise. The June 2012 post in particular describes a shipping company that delivers better customer service and more efficient operations when information about customers and shipping conditions is shared, and intelligent business decisions are made based on real-time data. Dynamic events such as disruptive storms, equipment failures or cancellations are handled efficiently by the intelligent, integrated enterprise.

Knowing that an integrated enterprise is better than a non-integrated enterprise, the next question to ask is, “where is the edge of the enterprise?” Middleware stacks and SOA platforms typically reside within the data center, connecting CRM systems, databases of record, corporate web sites and the like, but most enterprises extend far beyond the data center and a significant amount of corporate activity occurs beyond the reach of most integration infrastructure. Consider a fleet of delivery trucks, sensors on a smart grid, or point-of-sale outlets – each of these are generating or consuming information that is critical to the business, yet typically are outside the scope of the integration solution.

Consider a large retail chain. This Retail Company has made a significant investment in an integration solution at Headquarters and all the enterprise systems, as well as the corporate web site, are working intelligently together. It also has thousands of retail outlets, many of which are small kiosks in neighborhood malls. The reality is that the Retail Company cannot afford to install an integration stack at outlet locations, nor do they have the hardware and IT staffing to support such a solution at these locations.

This Retail Company, like most retail companies operating with the tightest of margins, makes do with batch delivery of information between Headquarters and their outlets. Disks (or print-outs) are placed on delivery trucks and are delivered within a day or two. The Retail Company can count on the data being out of date, occasionally incomplete, and rife with errors due to the manual steps necessary to create the disks.

Imagine what the Retail Company could do if they had intelligent integration everywhere. If there was a practical solution that gave every facet of the business immediate access to all information across the enterprise, they could:

• Unify web site services with in-store buying – If Headquarters has accurate, up-to-date information on inventory and receipts from all outlets worldwide, the web site can offer more on-line buying options and buying program rewards.
• Effectively enter smaller markets – With reduced IT costs, the Retail Company could afford to open smaller stores and expand into low-volume territories while still protecting their margins.
• Better manage inventory – With immediate access to activity at the outlets, the Retail Company could better manage supplies, pricing and offerings; and could also engage in dynamic advertising to maximize return on marketing spend.

Red Hat JBoss A-MQ 6.0 and Red Hat JBoss Fuse 6.0 solve this problem, and give the Intelligent, Integrated Enterprise the next level of operational effectiveness with Intelligent Integration Everywhere. These products, launched today, are designed for distributed use, and take integration to the outer edges of the enterprise. JBoss A-MQ and JBoss Fuse are:

• Easy to deploy – small footprint makes it easy to deploy with inexpensive hardware and limited IT staffing
• Cost-effective – open source software generally is less expensive than traditional stacks, making it practical to deploy more broadly
• Centrally managed – it is easy to configure, deploy and manage customized brokers with Fabric Management Console

JBoss A-MQ is an open source and standards-based message broker that reliably delivers information, and can be used to deliver receipts, pricing updates and delivery schedules between headquarters and outlets in near real time. With JBoss A-MQ, the Retail Company can eliminate batch delivery of information.

JBoss Fuse is an open source and standards-based ESB that offers integration capabilities without the overhead of a complete middleware stack. The Retail Company can use JBoss Fuse at distributor locations if, for example, the distributor wants to manage a group of outlets independently. Similarly, a partner may want to manage a fleet of delivery trucks independently. With JBoss Fuse, the Retail Company can eliminate the restrictions of a hub-and-spoke architecture.

JBoss A-MQ and JBoss Fuse are not just for the retail industry – they can have a game-changing effect in any industry that is typified by having information created and consumed in disparate locations. Logistics organizations with many trucks and depots spread across the country, energy systems with sensors across a smart grid, or government agencies with federal and municipal operations are all examples of where JBoss A-MQ and JBoss Fuse can make a difference.

For more information on JBoss A-MQ and JBoss Fuse visit redhat.com. Because JBoss A-MQ and JBoss Fuse are open source, they can be downloaded today and evaluated for any project.