IBM has announced an IBM initiative called Web 2.0 Goes to Work to help organizations bring the value of Web 2.0ùsuch as easy access to information, rich, browser-based applications, and social networking and collaboration softwareùinto the enterprise in a secure, reliable way.
Web 2.0 is about combining content, collaboration, and rich user experiences that are transforming the Internet from static Web pages into a dynamic platform for social interaction while enabling the creation of powerful, Web-based applications.
"IBM is uniquely positioned to develop an information ecosystem to meet the needs of organizations as they adopt Web 2.0 principles and technologies," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Software Group. "We're combining the collective experience, resources and expertise from across the company to help our customers realize the value of Web 2.0 in the enterprise."
As companies embrace this more dynamic, social Internet, they realize the benefits of having a service-oriented architecture (SOA). While SOA helps build a flexible computing infrastructure, Web 2.0 arms users and communities with software assets needed to create a new class of rich, lightweight and easily deployed software solutions.
"Our goal is to make today's consumer-based technologies relevant to businesses by building offerings that deliver a highly-productive and integrated entry into Web 2.0-based solutions," said Jim Deters, president of Ascendant Technology, an IBM Business Partner. "Businesses who do not take advantage of these technologies will be ultimately forced by users into this new computing era or will face significant growth hurdles."
To help companies deploy Web 2.0 technologies today, IBM is announcing the availability of enterprise-ready offerings:
Additionally, this store solution includes a single-page checkout to let shoppers view the real-time impact of intended purchases and then recalculate the cost of alternate products and shipping choices to help speed up the buying-decision process. These Web 2.0 capabilities are changing the on-line shopping metaphor from static, catalog-driven experiences to dynamic, customer-driven ones.
An additional focus of IBM's Web 2.0 investment is enabling customers to gain new competitive advantage through the creative integration and transformation of all types of informationùa capability called Info 2.0. IBM is previewing an Info 2.0 suite of integrated products that enables organizations to easily catalog, combine, transform and remix any type of data and content by drawing on the industry's widest variety of enterprise data sources and a vast array of Web data and content.
With Info 2.0 capabilities, line-of-business users can quickly create customizable "mash-ups"ùa website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience.
These Info 2.0 investments complement and extend IBM's cross-company Information on Demand initiative by enabling new innovation in areas that were not previously viable.
As companies begin to adopt Web 2.0 principles and technologies, IBM is continuing its focus on empowering its business partner ecosystem including independent software vendors (ISVs), developers, start-up companies and business partners with Web 2.0 information, expertise, and software tools to help them support growing customer demand for this new set of solutions and technologies.
IBM is also sharing new technologies with information technology professionals through alphaWorks Services, a site that allows organizations to access emerging software services from IBM research and development labs. The site will include mash-up, information management and catalog technologies from Info 2.0 by end of the third quarter. For more information, visit IBM AlphaWorks.
IBM says that it is making today's consumer-based technologies relevant to businesses by building offerings based on open standards and developing products that provide a highly-productive and integrated entry into Web 2.0-based team collaboration and social computing.
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