Progress Software Rolls Out SOA Program

The OpenEdge division of Progress Software on Monday rolled out a program to help VARs accelerate the ability to enhance their business applications with a series of products, services and best practices through a systems-oriented architecture (SOA) enablement process.

The Accelerator Program allows new application partners to subscribe to a customized program that helps them rearchitect their applications and go-to-market with Open-Edge-based applications. The new program is based on the company's Application Transformation Approach (ATA).

"With these programs, we can offer partners more of a common-sense approach to adopting newer technologies or rearchitecting existing ones without being disruptive to their business. We can provide the business resources and the technology to deliver adaptive SOA-enabled applications," says Julie Christiansen, director of partner development and marketing for the Progress OpenEdge Division.

The program has several offerings, including the Learning Accelerator, which company officials describe as a first step toward becoming a Progress partner. The program offers new solution providers specific information on how Open Edge products can support their application.

Another offering is the Development Accelerator, which supports new solution providers with technical and business resources they need to migrate their application over to the OpenEdge platform. A third offering is the Market Accelerator, which gives solution providers who have already rearchitected their application help in shaping a go-to-market strategy, company officials says.

ATA is based on the OpenEdge Reference Architecture--essentially a blueprint and best practices for designing applications built to exploit an SOA. ATA supplies a phased methodology with assessment, analysis and modeling, along with redesign and the reuse of existing components. The architecture also helps with the building and testing of pilot modules so partners can extract all they can from their existing technology.