Most people equate E-mail and messaging.
But E-mail to individuals is only the tip of an iceberg that includes all kinds of electronic messages between corporate systems, such as delivery notification, billing statements, and requests for quotes. And if you think there's trouble getting E-mail systems to talk to each other, just wait until you see the problems that occur w hen you try to hook up your billing system to a customer's inventory program. That's why a number of companies are trying to develop standards for other types of Internet-based messaging, such as those used in billing and electronic commerce. BQM isn't really a product or a standard. It's more like a common strategy for developing Internet-based messaging applications.