XML-J: Would you care to comment on the state of XML technology in the industry today?
Jaenicke: The official "state" of XML is that it's been accepted, but I don't think it's well understood. Most IT managers and project leaders have XML on some checklist somewhere, but few have yet incorporated IT in a strategic way.

What's most interesting about the state of XML - past, present and future - is the direction that it's moving. Technology (consider Java) usually comes from the Ivory Tower, and it eventually pushes its way into the mainstream. XML is completely different - it has actually been pulled into the mainstream. And the speed at which it's being accepted is also head-turning.

XML-J: I heard you have some very exciting news to share with our readers regarding eXcelon.
Jaenicke: eXcelon Corporation, formerly Object Design, Inc., changed its name in order to shift emphasis to the fastest-growing part of its business.

XML-J: Does this reflect the market view that OO databases aren't going to survive in the B2B market? Last year I was under the impression that eXcelon was just a business unit spawned off by ODI. Now it seems like you're making XML servers your main business.
Jaenicke: OO databases will certainly survive - ObjectStore is fabulous technology - but only in a limited subsection of the B2B market. We're still continuing to support and grow that business, but you're right about the change of business strategy - eXcelon used to be a small, start-up interest on the side. Now it's the center of eXcelon Corporation's main business strategy.

XML-J: What advantage do you think eXcelon has over the competition in terms of market strategy and positioning?
Jaenicke: eXcelon Corporation has a unique differentiator that's based on our past successes. We believe any solution - B2B or other - should be flexible and dynamic in order to easily support changing business objectives. Our B2B solution is designed to be dynamic from the ground up. It's integrated with your business process so it's possible to fully leverage any and all partners in a way that complements your immediate needs.

XML-J: What does your product line consist of?
Jaenicke: Our B2B product line consists of three offerings: a Dynamic Application Platform for building portals and e-markets, a B2B Integration Server for enterprise B2B infrastructure and eSolutions for industry-specific frameworks.

XML-J: How can our readers start using your products? What type of individuals do you think can immediately leverage your technology?
Jaenicke: eXcelon B2B and B2C solutions can be used today - many diverse groups have - check out our Web site at www.exceloncorp.com

XML-J: WebMethods is currently the name associated with the term B2B Integration Server. Are you stepping on their turf? How does your approach differ from WebMethods'?
Jaenicke: We certainly compete with their product. The difference is our solution is dynamic, meaning you have complete control over whom you work with and how you work with them. eXcelon B2B doesn't require specific software to be installed on the partner's end and doesn't dictate vocabularies or protocols, so organizations can work cooperatively, not coercively.

XML-J: There's a lot of buzz about XML servers and portals. What exactly is an XML dynamic application platform and how does it relate to XML portals?
Jaenicke: A dynamic application platform hosts business logic that's built for change. Because of the extensibility of XML, it's possible to build and deploy applications using dynamic data modeling. This is key for portals because they're information driven and that information - even the format of that information - is always changing.

XML-J: Do you consider yourselves market enablers or marketplace creators? For example, will people use your products to create marketplaces/exchanges on the Web? Or are you providing the marketplace and signing on parties into a trading community?
Jaenicke: Both, because we have a range of product offerings. The eXcelon Dynamic Application Platform is for building any type of portal, including an e-marketplace. With the eXcelon B2B Integration Server, we're enabling organizations to partner with anyone, including short-term relationships with any e-market. And that's where having a dynamic solution becomes imperative - you can't coerce an established marketplace to install software or use your protocol. You have to be able to walk up to a desirable partner and say, "How do you do business? Okay, we'll work your way."

XML-J: Are you participating in any standards bodies, consortiums, etc.?
Jaenicke: Yes - we're members of the World Wide Web (W3C) Consortium, RosettaNet and OASIS.

XML-J: Do you plan to define any XML standards?
Jaenicke: Definitely not. We believe in being dialect agnostic because there will always be new industry vocabularies and protocols, as well as customizations. Look at how often EDI was customized. For that reason we believe the best approach is not to depend on there being a single standard, but to support the extension of standards.

XML-J: What vertical and horizontal market segments do you plan to target?
Jaenicke: Initially, eXcelon Corporation will be targeting the insurance, retail, telecommunication and manufacturing verticals, but I certainly expect to see that list grow over time. Horizontally speaking, any company that's building a portal, auction site, e-market or any B2B infrastructure will be interested in our technology.

XML-J: What areas do you think eXcelon will expand into beyond its current offerings? What kind of vendors do you see yourselves partnering with?
Jaenicke: We're partnering with enterprise application integration (EAI) vendors as well as those that have XML tools or expertise.

XML-J: How big a market are you going after? How much of it do you hope to capture?
Jaenicke: Using various different predictions and stats, we expect there to be $6 billion in spending on B2B software infrastructure by the year 2003. I'd sound defeatist if I didn't say we were aggressively going after a large portion of that!

XML-J: Where do you see the XML market going in the next five years?
Jaenicke: At the risk of sounding antagonistic, I'd argue that there really isn't an XML market per se. XML is a technology and we're on the brink of an explosion of tools and applications that leverage XML's unique benefits. Five years down the road I expect XML will be fully built into virtually every solution - you may not even know it's there.