This second part of the article covers the ESB service and support offerings market that is growing up around the OSS ESB/MOM ecosystem and the response of the established ESB/MOM suppliers, which in some cases involves their getting the OSS religion themselves. Traditional mid-stack software suppliers tend to offer ESBs as part of an integrated framework (although most have begun to offer them a la carte as well) while up-and-coming OSS ESB suppliers tend to offer them a la carte. Is there an advantage of one approach over the other? Maybe but I found that the separate domains are converging.

For now, ESBs in integrated frameworks tend to dominate. The major question I continue to ask is: Does ESB/MOM technology has a future as a freestanding function? Or like spell checkers in word processors, will ESBs simply become a feature of a larger suite of mid-stack software? As I explained in the summary of Part I, I think ESBs could be useful freestanding in supporting the wireless revolution, different end-user roles (e.g., in diskless appliances), and different size companies. If I am correct, there likely is a place for freestanding ESBs/MOMs.

Looking at what some of the traditional MOM suppliers are doing in this space illustrates the point, especially when looking at their related OSS strategy for the products. The services/support companies that are growing up around the concept also illustrate the viability of a freestanding approach to this still new midstack software concept.