Microsoft is a Leader in our evaluation of application server platforms, due to the strong and mature development, deployment, management, and interoperability features of its Windows Server platform, which is based on .NET. Microsoft isn’t pushing advanced features like real-time, business event management, and business rules as aggressively as its Java/J2EE/Java EE competitors, but it has a comprehensive set of features. Microsoft doesn’t disclose either the growth or market presence of its application platform suite, but Forrester believes it to be strong and growing based on survey and anecdotal evidence. Microsoft’s lower prices and cost advantages on multicore servers, compared with the other players, helped drive its strategy scores to the highest levels in the evaluation.
source: Microsoft Is A Leader In Application Server Platforms
IBM apparently has challenges in this area and barely makes it to the ‘Leaders’. Their ‘broad platform portfolio” gets in the way …
IBM’s current offering scores in our evaluation of application server platforms are strong, reflecting the big portfolio of products included in IBM’s platform. But IBM’s strategy scores were held down by its high costs, the modest revenue growth that IBM as a whole registered during the four quarters included in this evaluation, and a moderate score for focus. The result: IBM is on the borderline between Leader and Strong Performer in four of the scenarios included the Forrester Wave™ and a Leader in one scenario. The picture of IBM’s current offering in our evaluation represents what many customers experience when they work with IBM. IBM has a broad platform portfolio, but its breadth and uneven integration between its products can drive up costs and complexity.
source: IBM Is A Leader In Application Server Platforms — Except For Its High Costs
