Business transaction management (BTM) looks set to become a new industry buzzword. It does appear to tick the right boxes - a three-letter acronym with undefined boundaries - but, according to a new study from IDC's Emerging Technologies Group, BTM also represents a major leap forward in IT management philosophy and one that will help firms manage complex IT environments from a business perspective.
With the proliferation of Web-based customer services provided by banks, insurance firms, stock traders, ecommerce providers, and travel agencies, IDC expects more businesses to adopt BTM solutions to avoid revenue loss and improve customer service through the identification and diagnosis of IT performance problems that affect transaction availability.
According to the study, major IT vendors are jumping on the BTM bandwagon as they view it as a way to solve a number of IT management and BI-type problems related to multitier, heterogeneous computing environments. In addition to an expected set of startups, the "big four" system management vendors - HP, IBM, CA, and BMC - have already acquired smaller providers or invested in R&D in anticipation of a rise in demand. IDC believes BTM will be an important part of IT management offerings as it complements a range of solutions focused on application management, business activity monitoring, and business process automation.
"The real rub is that BTM holds so much potential that it is likely to attract additional established and startup companies, which will increase competition among providers large and small," said Dan Yachin, research director of emerging technologies at IDC. "It is therefore important to establish what the term means and how BTM relates to other solutions so that customers get a better understanding of its benefits. Startups themselves might also consider partnerships with established IT management vendors as well as application and middleware players as part of a go-to-market strategy."
The study, Business Transaction Management: Another Step in the Evolution of IT Management (Doc #EMT1P, March 2007), defines BTM, describes the driving forces behind user uptake and vendor development, and summarizes the current market environment.
With the proliferation of Web-based customer services provided by banks, insurance firms, stock traders, ecommerce providers, and travel agencies, IDC expects more businesses to adopt BTM solutions to avoid revenue loss and improve customer service through the identification and diagnosis of IT performance problems that affect transaction availability.
According to the study, major IT vendors are jumping on the BTM bandwagon as they view it as a way to solve a number of IT management and BI-type problems related to multitier, heterogeneous computing environments. In addition to an expected set of startups, the "big four" system management vendors - HP, IBM, CA, and BMC - have already acquired smaller providers or invested in R&D in anticipation of a rise in demand. IDC believes BTM will be an important part of IT management offerings as it complements a range of solutions focused on application management, business activity monitoring, and business process automation.
"The real rub is that BTM holds so much potential that it is likely to attract additional established and startup companies, which will increase competition among providers large and small," said Dan Yachin, research director of emerging technologies at IDC. "It is therefore important to establish what the term means and how BTM relates to other solutions so that customers get a better understanding of its benefits. Startups themselves might also consider partnerships with established IT management vendors as well as application and middleware players as part of a go-to-market strategy."
The study, Business Transaction Management: Another Step in the Evolution of IT Management (Doc #EMT1P, March 2007), defines BTM, describes the driving forces behind user uptake and vendor development, and summarizes the current market environment.
