Mountain View, CA (September 10, 2007) -  Ascentn Corporation, a Microsoft Business Process Alliance member, announced “BizTalk Server AgileParts” as an extension to its award winning AgilePoint Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) with general availability scheduled for October 2007. 

The BizTalk Server AgileParts provide designers, analysts and business users the ability to model processes and fully execute BizTalk Server capabilities by browsing orchestrations, policies, rules, applications, tracking data and communication endpoints in a business user friendly interface, Microsoft Office Visio, with drag and drop, click and configure simplicity. Business users control the “what” the integration should do (i.e. take input from this form, execute this expense rule) using Visio while IT controls the “how” it is accomplished (3 bi-directional receive ports for PO’s: HTTP, FTP and SOAP) through an easy to use property panel. The executable XML process model containing the BizTalk Server AgilePart remains adaptable in real time (it is never compiled) through any business user application interface in the enterprise such as Office SharePoint Portal Server  or SAP order entry screen for runtime changes or exception handling.

A dynamic business environment requires not only process automation and integration, but also adaptability to respond to changes at any time. AgilePoint’s dynamic meta-data driven framework architecture is designed to drive runtime change to any human or system interaction AgilePart contained in the process model or even change the model itself. This flexibility can be surfaced in internal, customer or supplier facing systems to allow runtime adaptations for channels of delivery, mass customization of business relationships, personalized dispute resolution, etc. within business and IT governance and audit. BizTalk Server’s superior system integration and trading partner capabilities can now be used from an IT guided range of options for the average business user to select how to process an unusual PO from their largest customer or fulfill a tangled cross-dock shipment without IT having to predict, specify, develop and deploy every possible variation on these processes.

The value of this type of adaptable integration was highlighted in the Gartner report “Cool Vendors in Business Process Management, 2007” report by Janelle B. Hill and Marc Kerremans, March 8, 2007” which stated: “processes that can be dynamically changed in real time…   This real-time infrastructure is one of the key elements that differentiates Ascentn from other Microsoft technology-centric vendors.”  and “Its model driven development framework provides the necessary instrumentation to fully experience the value proposition of SOA.”

 “Ascentn AgilePoint is a modern Business Process Management system that allows business users to innovate around process and IT to excel at provisioning services,” said Jesse Shiah, president and CEO of Ascentn. “AgilePoint integrates BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and Windows Workflow Foundation with the ease of use and collaboration of Microsoft Office to address the reality of almost daily business change. You can unlock the potential of your people and information assets by enabling business user innovation inside an IT controlled ecosystem with AgilePoint.”

“BizTalk Server 2006 R2 provides the ability to take automated processes from the central office to the edges of the business at the shop floor or with trading partners through EDI and RFID,” said Steven Martin, director of the Connected Systems Division at Microsoft Corp. “AgilePoint’s integration with BizTalk Server 2006 R2 enables customers to connect people and processes within and across organizations.”

About Ascentn

Ascentn AgilePoint pioneered .NET-based BPMS and delivered an SOA-aligned, model-driven, meta-data framework architecture to enable any organization to practice ‘adaptable’ and ‘explicit’ process management.  This advancement truly empowers business users with process visibility and process-based innovation at both design-time and run-time within an IT governed ecosystem. Ascentn’s ‘Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast’ is a practical approach that delivers on the value proposition of SOA, BPM and composite applications with minimal cost, complexity and code. From financial services, manufacturing, communications through healthcare, companies are turning to AgilePoint to drive process excellence, reduce costs and improve business agility. Ascentn's solutions drive the BPM initiatives of many leading global organizations including Siemens, Pfizer, Chinatrust, Cellcom, Elbit Systems, Daisy Brand and most recently, for the world's largest computer maker. Ascentn has offices in North America, Asia Pacific (Taiwan, China, Japan) and EMEA (Belgium and Spain).

For more information about Ascentn, please visit our Web site at www.ascentn.com, email us at info@ascentn.com, or call us at +1-650-968-6789.

Ascentn and AgilePoint are registered trademarks. The Ascentn logo and AgilePoint are trademarks of Ascentn Corporation. Product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

In the U.S. please contact:
Jesse Shiah
Tel: 650.968.6789
Email: jesse.shiah@ascentn.com