BizTalk for Healthcare, Financial Services

Following through on a strategy to appeal to vertical industries, Microsoft has updated its BizTalk accelerator for healthcare and issued a new accelerator aimed at the financial services industry. The products use BizTalk Server 2002 to reduce the amount of customization and development needed to integrate applications and translate data and documents into industry-standard formats. Version 2.0 of the BizTalk Accelerator for HIPAA adds support for new U.S. government requirements in the medical industry and adds new tools. The BizTalk Accelerator for Financial Services translates between various financial services message standards.

BizTalk Server acts as a hub that connects disparate applications and passes messages in the formats each expects. (For more background on BizTalk Server, see “BizTalk Server 2002 Focuses on Deployment and Management” on page 3 of the Apr. 2002 Update and “BizTalk Server 2000 Orchestrates Business Interaction” on page 3 of the Mar. 2001 Update.) To speed deployment of BizTalk-based solutions, Microsoft and selected partners are creating software components, called BizTalk “accelerators,” that contain the basic business logic and data translation capabilities commonly required in the business or market segment served by the solutions. (For more information on BizTalk accelerators, see “Microsoft and Industry Partners Accelerate BizTalk Integration” on page 5 of the July 2001 Update.)