IBM Thursday shipped its WebSphere Portal
Server, which it said enables enterprises to build portals that
provide employee and customer access to corporate
information using wireless Net devices.
The company said the product provides a scalable framework
for applications and information from a variety of sources. It
includes navigation, personalization and support for a wide
variety of Net devices.
“WebSphere Portal Server is the core of IBM’s portal strategy,”
said Larry Bowden, IBM Software Group’s vice president. “It
integrates the front-end, back-end services, application
server, and tooling needed by customers to solve the breadth
of their B2C, B2B and B2E needs.”
The Web server is built around what the company calls
portlets, which are windows into specific content or
applications, according to IBM. It has portlets for specific
wireless phones, handhelds and other devices.
The company said WebSphere Portal Server is designed to be used in conjunction
with its WebSphere Everyplace Suite, which provides tools for converting Web
content to content that can be used in wireless phones and handhelds. Currently,
the suite supports Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), but the company announced
Thursday that i-mode support will be added in April.
According to the company, WebSphere Portal Server is available now on AIX and will
support Windows NT and Solaris in April. Pricing is based on the number of users.
