an architecture that enables heterogeneous systems to communicate with each other (e.g. IBM, HP, Sun, Tandem, etc.). MQ can be used with CICS systems to send and receive data to/from any other MQ-eligible system. MQ can be used to initiate work in a CICS system or a CICS transaction can initiate work in another CICS or non-CICS system. IBM MQ now supports 80 different environments and has become the leading message assured delivery switching/routing product in the industry. MQ and web services IBM MQ can be used as a foundation for creating service-oriented architectures. Several additional product options exist to help convert legacy programs into functioning web services through the use of MQ. Larger, heterogeneous enterprises often appear as a federation of somewhat autonomous domains based on lines of business, functional or governance areas. In such environments, some services may be shared or reused only within a single domain, while others may be shared or reused throughout the enterprise. IBM MQ provides the means by which communication exists between lines-of-business or otherwise separate business domains. A related product in the IBM MQ product family, called IBM App Connect Enterprise (formerly IBM Integration Bus / WebSphere Message Broker) enables a diverse and robust set of extensions to queue-based architectures. Using IBM Integration Bus, users can implement a WebServices front-end, complete with WSDL file support that can interact with any queue-based application. See also Advanced Message Queuing Protocol IBM WebSphere Message Broker Java Message Service Message queue Message Queuing as a Service MQTT References External links IBM MQ product page Message-oriented middleware Managed file transfer