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HostBridge is mainframe software that XML-enables CICS without
any changes to existing applications. It reflects the wants
and needs expressed by our customers and is the only integration
solution built from the ground up for sharing CICS application
data as XML. We realize that integration is often a painful
experience for organizations, so we design our solutions to
make CICS integration as trouble-free as possible. HostBridge
enables you to quickly transform your existing CICS business
systems by adding new capabilities. It enables you to extend
your systems to connect easily with your partners' networks.
Whether your strategic goal is to achieve new levels of efficiency
in your own business processes, or realize closer collaboration
with partners, HostBridge unlocks the full value of your legacy
applications.
Integrate CICS with Anything
Integration is a never-ending process that spreads throughout
an organization. HostBridge's ability to integrate any CICS
application or data source using a variety of connection methods makes it
suitable for integration in any business situation.
- Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) - Most
companies make the decision to get their own house in
order before they try to integrate their systems with
those of their partners. HostBridge provides a variety
of connectivity options that make it ideal for internal
integration projects.
- Inter-Enterprise Integration (IEI) - Demand from
partners and suppliers to make corporate information
visible requires loosely coupled integration. HostBridge
supports the industry standards that make up web services
and provides a high-performance SOAP server to speed
up integration.
- Application Migration - Even if you plan to migrate
away from your legacy systems, HostBridge instantly XML-enables
your CICS applications so you can quickly see the benefits
of integration without having to wait for migration projects
to finish. Moreover, because web applications will already
be receiving corporate data in XML, you can make seamless
transitions to the new platforms when they go online.
Ease of Use Shortens Time-to-Market and Lowers Integration
Costs
Enable your CICS applications for eBusiness in hours instead
of weeks or months. Once installed, HostBridge XML-enables
your CICS terminal-oriented applications immediately, making
them ready for integration with other eBusiness applications.
There is no need to customize HostBridge for each CICS transaction
or screen. For companies with many applications, reduced customization
can save hundreds of thousands of dollars compared to legacy
reengineering efforts. Furthermore, HostBridge does not use
proprietary scripting languages and does not require specialized
knowledge. All communication with HostBridge uses XML and
standard transport mechanisms (e.g., HTTP) -- skills most
web developers already have -- eliminating the need for services
or additional training.
Streamlined Design Boosts Scalability and Lowers Maintenance
Costs
HostBridge overcomes the scalability shortcomings associated
with traditional web-to-host gateways by drastically reducing
the complexity and processing involved. For example, web-to-host
gateways usually perform poorly because they rely upon terminal
emulation and screen scraping. Furthermore, once a gateway
reaches capacity, adding additional servers is the only way
to achieve scalability. In contrast, HostBridge processes
CICS application data before the 3270 data stream is created
and converts it directly to XML. Moreover, because HostBridge
runs on the mainframe, it avoids the overhead of passing data
through protocol stacks, TN3270 clients/servers and programming
interfaces, like HLLAPI. This allows HostBridge to run at
the full speed of your CICS applications.
Secure eBusiness Transactions
Running a CICS transaction through HostBridge is just
as secure as running the transaction from a 3270 terminal.
This is because HostBridge works with CICS Web Support (CWS)
and other IBM-provided components, in which IBM has incorporated
support for standard mainframe security systems (RACF, ACF/2,
TopSecret) as well as SSL and digital certificates. As a result
HostBridge works within whatever security models you have
in place to protect sensitive corporate applications and data.
Application Server/Integration Platforms
HostBridge provides complete flexibility in your choice
of application server or integration technologies. HostBridge
works the same whether you connect your CICS applications
to web services platforms, application servers, or even other
host applications. In fact, any application or platform that
can use XML will work with HostBridge. Our patented
design allows you to use HostBridge regardless of the chosen
technologies for growing your eBusiness. Similarly, if you
change your system configuration in the future, HostBridge
will adapt and continue to deliver XML to your eBusiness applications.
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