Microsoft released an OBA Reference Application for supply-chain management. What’s an OBA?
Traditional business applications do not enable collaboration across functional boundaries – which forces information workers to use personal productivity tools to fill these gaps in order to conduct business. This leads to a loss in productivity as users are forced to cross from one set of tools to another. Information workers need to bridge this divide in a way that is seamless, synchronized and secure. This requires a new breed of composite applications that can support cross-functional processes, and can be assembled from the collection of information assets that the business has already deployed. The 2007 Office System provides a platform for building these kinds of composite solutions, which are called Office Business Applications (OBAs).
Microsoft is battling back from the (deserved) bashing it has taken over the lack of a relevant Internet strategy. Recently an executive said they see a future of applications as a combination of Web services and installed products like Office–not only collaborative web applications. Absolutely.
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