webMethods, Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Company have announced the public availability of the Open Management Interface (OMI) Specification Version 1.0 which defines a standards-based (XML/SOAP/HTTP) management interface. The intent of OMI is "to provide an easy, open way for systems management vendors and other interested parties to access and manage the resources associated with an integration platform, together with associated business processes. Using the OMI specification in conjunction with the webMethods integration platform and HP OpenView software, companies can include business processes and web services into Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) with customers, vendors and suppliers. If a process fails to work -- for example, the processing of a purchase order is delayed or cancelled -- a company can determine if it is due to a system being down or if it is a breakdown in the business process itself. In addition, the combination of a business process management and integration platform with systems management technology allows companies to know which business processes will be affected if any given system or application fails and take actions to correct it." OMI was announced in September 2001 as a joint development project; it has now been released as an open specification. webMethods and HP plan to deliver OMI-based versions of their products in the early summer of 2002, and invite feedback on the specification, as well broader adoption and use.

From the specification abstract: "The Open Management Interface is a specification jointly authored by webMethods and Hewlett-Packard. The intent of OMI is to provide an easy, open way for systems management vendors and other interested parties to access and manage the resources associated with an integration platform, together with associated business processes. Both companies encourage and support the broader adoption and use of this specification."

From webMethods' ISM/OMI description: "Partnering with Hewlett Packard, webMethods has helped define the Open Management Interface (OMI), which is fast becoming the lingua franca for systems management solutions. OMI is an open specification, which defines a standards-based (XML/SOAP/HTTP) management interface for an integration platform. The OMI specification allows you to leverage existing investments in systems management offerings by extending those tools to include management of the integration platform. With partnerships and endorsements from all the leading systems management vendors - Hewlett Packard, BMC, Computer Associates and Tivoli - webMethods is the only company that can offer you true end-to-end visibility of your business..."

From the announcement:

webMethods, Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Company today announced the general availability of the Open Management Interface (OMI) Specification Version 1.0. OMI is an open specification, jointly authored by webMethods and HP, which defines a standards-based (XML/SOAP/HTTP) management interface. With OMI, customers will be able to use leading systems management tools to effectively manage and monitor business processes, web services and the underlying integration infrastructure that drives their businesses. The specification allows customers to leverage their existing investment in HP OpenView and other systems management offerings by extending those tools to include management of the webMethods integration platform.

"With the release of the OMI specification, companies are able to manage their mission-critical infrastructure with complete visibility from top to bottom," said Jim Green, CTO and executive vice president of product development for webMethods. "For the first time, it's possible for businesses to correlate a deep knowledge of their integration systems and associated business processes with the status of their overall IT environment. This provides immediate insight into the status of their business by providing a deeper understanding of how different systems impact specific business processes."

"The OMI specification represents the next generation of thinking in infrastructure management. To remain competitive, today's enterprise and service provider businesses need to manage integration systems and business processes as part of managing their complete infrastructure environment," said Patty Azzarello, vice president and general manager, HP OpenView Business Unit. "With comprehensive management capabilities, companies can provide their users with higher overall quality of service and ensure that SLA commitments are met or exceeded."

By supporting the OMI specification, HP OpenView software now manages the webMethods integration platform as it does other critical business technologies, such as networks, systems, storage, applications and databases. By supporting the OMI specification, webMethods will enable HP OpenView users to manage the webMethods integration platform from the same management console used for the management of all other IT resources.