Accelerating XML

A new generation of XML protocols for security, process workflow, reliability and management only promises to slow things down, therefore, there is a need for networked devices and components to understand and help decipher XML extensions. Hence the market for XML acceleration technology should only grow. At least that seems to be the conclusion reached by our author (jfontana@nww.com) in his story on the subject this week.

Today, vendors such as DataPower, Sarvega, Reactivity, Forum Systems, Westbridge, Vordel, and Layer 7 Technologies provide dedicated hardware, appliances, or software to speed the transformation, schema validation and routing of XML, as well as, add security.

Vendors such as Tarari and Confirmative Systems have developed dedicated silicon to quickly process XML, and established vendors such as Computer Associates and Foundry Networks are slowly supporting XML.

Research firm ZapThink says XML is expected to account for upwards of 25% of network traffic by 2006, up from just over 3% last year. And Forrester predicts there will be a billion clients sending and receiving XML messages based on the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) by 2008.

A recent Forrester Research report noted functional overlaps among XML security gateways and other tools such as Web application firewalls, network firewalls, Web services management, Web single sign-on (SSO), and application platforms. The report also concluded that the intellectual property being created by the XML appliance vendors has real market value over the long term.

The conclusion? Companies will have to decide sooner or later when, where and how much XML processing takes place at various points on the network.

For more on this story see: https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0503xmlaccel.html