FOCUS ON NETWORK COMPUTING Discussing advances in network computing Norbert Dawalibi, vice-president of software and network computing at IBM Canada Ltd., explains significant issues.

Abstract

"Not really. The Internet is standardizing the way people interact with computers. It's important to have an open standard -- and that's the Internet. Imagine if every business had its own design for the telephone. No one would be able to communicate with the outside world. The Internet has become hi-tech's equivalent of the standard telephone."

Discussing advances in network computing Norbert Dawalibi, vice-president of software and network computing at IBM Canada Ltd., explains significant issues.

FOCUS ON NETWORK COMPUTING

Discussing advances in network computing Norbert Dawalibi, vice-president of software and network computing at IBM Canada Ltd., explains significant issues.

Tuesday, February 11, 1997

IT'S BEEN over a year since Louis V. Gerstner gave his visionary address at Comdex in Las Vegas on IBM's view of a network computing future.

Since then, the industry trends have accelerated the move to a viable network model. The computer sector is delivering solutions that fulfill the promise of universal connectivity.

Norbert Dawalibi, vice-president of software and network computing at IBM Canada Ltd., discussed some of the significant issues and developments in network computing in a recent interview.

Q: Are you surprised by the rapid growth of the Internet?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Not really. The Internet is standardizing the way people interact with computers. It's important to have an open standard -- and that's the Internet. Imagine if every business had its own design for the telephone. No one would be able to communicate with the outside world. The Internet has become hi-tech's equivalent of the standard telephone."

Q: What's been Java's impact on the Internet?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Java allows you to get applications dynamically over a network and this makes it well-tailored for the Internet environment.

"The other very important characteristic is that when you write an application to Java it can run on any platform. So you can be operating OS/2, Windows or UNIX, for example, and if the application is written to Java it will run on it as long as you have that Java virtual machine. In terms of making applications truly open, Java is the right solution the industry has been looking for."

Q: How essential is Lotus Domino to network computing?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Domino is essentially a Notes server and an Internet server put together. You can now access the collaborative database type functions that exist in Notes with a Web browser.

"The Internet is a snap if all you want to do is just surf. But if you want to use it to work together in teams, to share information, to partake in discussion groups, and to look at non-traditional types of databases, then you need Domino. Our customers are very excited about this product. There's nothing comparable on the market. Our competitors are offering only promises of similar software. It's just vaporware."

Q: How extensively has IBM prepared for electronic commerce?

Mr. Dawalibi: "IBM is very well-positioned for electronic commerce. Most of the transactions that happen in the world today use our systems and servers. Transactional systems have some very definite characteristics. You have to ensure privacy, security and confidentiality. You have to be up and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We've been doing those types of things for years.

"Commerce over the Net is experiencing phenomenal growth. Because we understand the Internet and the backend technologies, we can put the two together successfully. Our products such as Net.Commerce and World Avenue are providing solutions that our customers want to implement."

Q: Should security still be an issue on the Internet?

Mr. Dawalibi: "On this point, there's a perception problem. Many people use their credit cards to order over the phone. They also have no problem handing them over to pay for a restaurant bill. People take such matters for granted.

"But there is still some worry about security on the Internet. It means that as an industry we have to educate the public. We have technologies such as SET and secure protocols and cryptography that address the concerns. Security will not become a lingering issue with electronic commerce."

Q: Datamining is generating a lot of excitement, especially in the retail sector. What's the major business advantage?

Mr. Dawalibi: "The idea behind data-mining is to be able to use your computer systems to better analyze customer information to find patterns and trends. Companies can gain a better understanding of buying preferences and that's something extremely powerful."

Q: What's required for datamining?

Mr. Dawalibi: "You need specialized software to make it happen and some powerful processors. You have to look at literally billions of possibilities. To have the proper engines, you require parallel processors that we run with the RISC environment or use large scale 390 machines."

Q: Will datamining change the way that companies market their products and services?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Some businesses are using the tools today. Such companies are striving to attain mass customization. All the information can be tailored to do buying profiles for each individual in a database. The target market is each individual."

Q: Lately, we're all hearing a lot about middleware. What's driving the interest now?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Our middleware known as MQSeries provides the glue that allows interoperability. You can move all the messages and transactions around and maintain the integrity between all the different pieces.

"MQSeries lets you access an application in virtually any system. So it's not surprising that customers who interact with different types of computers have taken to this product in a big way."

Q: With the vast variety of computer systems, how do you keep everything in sync? What does Tivoli do for distributed computing?

Mr. Dawalibi: "Tivoli lets you manage your system, right from your desktop to departmental machines, LANs, and mainframes. The costs involved in the distributed world are staggering. You need automated tools that Tivoli provides to effectively manage that environment."

Q: We've discussed a wide variety of technologies and products. How would you summarize IBM's software offerings for business?

Mr. Dawalibi: IBM and Lotus provide the boradest range of network enabled client/server software. Many companies are anxious to exploit the Internet to share information, broaden communications or conduct commercial transactions. IBM software provides the bridge between existing business processes and these exciting new opportunities.