<p>Standards Deviant No More? Microsoft Embracing Protocols And Partnerships </p><p>The software developer's participation in OMG and Web services alliances with IBM and EMC, announced Wednesday, are the latest signs Redmond is opening up. By Paul McDougall InformationWeek September 10, 2008 11:20 AM </p><p>As part of its ongoing effort to recast itself as a developer of open, standards-friendly products, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) on Wednesday announced its membership in a key software industry group and also said it would collaborate with rivals IBM (NYSE: IBM) and EMC (NYSE: EMC) on a common Web services interface for content management systems. </p><p>Microsoft has also joined a group that is developing a standard for open-source messaging software known as the Advanced Messaging and Queuing Protocol (AMQP), according to a credible industry source. An AMQP official, however, said the source's information is inaccurate and that Microsoft has not joined the group. </p><p>What's certain is that Microsoft will participate in the Object Management Group standards body, which publishes standards, such as the Unified Modeling Language, used in the development of so-called model-driven architectures (MDAs). MDA is a loosely-defined term that generally describes environments in which programmers take a systemic view of enterprise software development instead of focusing solely on individual lines of code. </p><p>A number of Fortune 500 companies, including Wells Fargo, are experimenting with MDAs in order to create closely integrated business systems. </p><p>Microsoft said its participation in the Object Management Group will help drive MDAs into the mainstream. "We're building modeling in as a core part of the platform," said Bob Muglia, senior VP over Microsoft's Server and Tools unit, in a statement. Microsoft said it would take "an active role" in OMG working groups to help defined future standards for MDAs. The company noted that it's already working with OMG's finance working group on information models for the insurance industry. </p><p>Separately, Microsoft said Wednesday that it has teamed with IBM and EMC to create standard specifications for a Web services interface to connect content management systems. Microsoft said that, along with its partners, it plans to submit the Content Management Interoperability Services ( CMIS) specification to the OASIS group (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) for ratification as an industry standard. </p><p>From www.informationweek.com/news/software/integration/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210600814 10 September 2008 Microsoft said publication of CMIS would allow content management systems from different vendors to interoperate with each other out of the box. Currently, such interoperability often requires expensive and time-consuming integration work. "Many companies today are struggling with how to unlock the full value of their data when they have multiple-content management solutions," said IDC analyst Melissa Webster, who called Microsoft's announcement "a step in the right direction" toward resolving the problem. </p><p>Microsoft, according to an industry source, has also joined the AMQP group but has yet to announce the move. AMQP is developing an open-source messaging specification. Messaging platforms, such as Microsoft's BizTalk server, facilitate data interchange between business systems and common applications like e-mail. </p><p>Microsoft public relations officials did not return a call seeking comment. Alexis Richardson, a business development director at software developer CohesiveFT and an AMQP member, said in an e-mail that Microsoft has not joined the group, and that the source's information is not true. Ted Ross, a principal software engineer at Red Hat and also an AMQP participant, declined to comment when reached by phone at his office in Westford, Mass. Sam Ramji, Microsoft's senior director of platform strategy, did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment. </p><p>Still, Microsoft's participation OMG and its alliance with IBM and EMC on Web services interfaces are--in and of themselves-- strong indications that the company, long criticized for its proprietary, closed approach to software development, may be changing its ways. </p><p>Shifting market conditions and regulatory pressures are helping to drive Microsoft's evolution. Enterprise software architectures are becoming more complex. As a result, business IT managers are increasingly loathe to buy from vendors that don't support a wide range of standards and protocols. </p><p>At the same time, Microsoft has been hit with billions of dollars in fines in recent years by government regulators—particularly in Europe—who've accused the company of trying to protect its software monopoly by failing to support third-party standards. Partly in response, Microsoft in February pledged broad support for industry standards and interoperability. In July, the company said it would become an official sponsor of the open-source Apache project. </p><p>Critics, such as the Free Software Foundation, insist however that Microsoft continues to build products designed to lock customers into the Windows environment. </p><p>But in addition to its recent initiatives, Microsoft is also maintaining longer-standing interoperability projects, including a partnership with Novell under which the two companies are developing interfaces designed to make Windows and the Linux OS cross-compatible. </p><p>If such efforts continue, Microsoft could soon shake its reputation as the software industry's standards deviant. </p><p>From www.informationweek.com/news/software/integration/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210600814 10 September 2008</p>