Middleware is a layer of software that lets business applications inter-operate and eases the problem of constructing complex applications that can include market places, CRM and Internet access. The world of middleware has recently been galvanised by the arrival of the Internet and then by Java, making it part of the e-commerce revolution. This text provides a practical introduction to the different forms of middleware (RPC, message queues, hub and spoke, CORBA and Java) and how they can be combined to produce complex architectures that are suited to business needs. -Contributes to the diffusion and understanding of the importance of the role of middleware in the design of complex information systems. -Relevant text for courses on Information Technology applied to Business Management. -The first edition of this title was a bestseller.