Sybase has announced upgrades to three products in its e-business range to help customers improve the way they manage information. Business Process Integrator (BPI) 2.1, PowerDesigner 9.0 and Enterprise Portal 2.5 will all ship by mid-February and can work separately or in conjunction with each other.

Emphasising the integrated nature of the suite, Peter Hoversten, Sybase's chief technology officer, said, "Organisations can buy Sybase products as needs dictate and be assured they will build upon each other, and integrate with existing and future developments."

BPI 2.1 is a set of six new products from Sybase and its New Era of Networks subsidiary. They are designed to integrate, automate and manage external business interactions with partners and customers.

The products in BPI 2.1 include New Era of Networks Process Server, e-Biz Integrator, BizTracker, XML Adapter and Sybase Web Services Integrator.

PowerDesigner has been enhanced, with version 9.0 providing a richer graphical interface for IT teams and business users who model and develop e-business applications, to make them more productive.

Enterprise Portal 2.5 offers better security, addressing strict requirements particularly in the government sector - one of its strong vertical markets - with personalised access to enterprise information. Other features include XML content integration and Web services integration to support business-to-business interactions. There is also support for HP-UX.

Sybase has attempted to differentiate its enterprise environment by making it more open and modular than its leading competitors. The company has gradually rounded out and integrated its offerings into a coherent e-business suite.

"Sybase correctly saw the convergence of the application server, enterprise portal and integration markets for enterprises to build comprehensive e-business infrastructures," commented Tyler McDaniel of analyst Hurwitz Group.