looksoftware has announced its SNAP solutions, designed to allow traditional applications to be plugged into popular front-ends including Microsoft's Outlook and SharePoint, IBM's Notes, and Websphere Portal, and open portals like Google. SNAP provides rapid integration of back-end RPG and COBOL with the business user's preferred front-end, thereby delivering streamlined business processes and reduced operational costs, the company said.

The first SNAP solution pack for Microsoft Office and SharePoint allows entire applications, or specific transactions from classic System i applications, to be accessed seamlessly from within Office 2007 and SharePoint. All this is accomplished with no changes required to the RPG/COBOL 5250 back-end. SNAP supports two types of connections-UI components and Web services-providing the flexible component-level support required to integrate the front-end with the back-end to improve workflow.

adidas IT team leader B.H. Lee, who used looksoftware's SNAP functionality to integrate its RPG back-end with Microsoft said, "Our end users are very happy with the improved user experience and additional functionality we have provided. They love the seamless integration with Microsoft Office and now think the System i is wonderful!"

"adidas is leading an important new trend started by Microsoft and SAP with their very successful Duet product when they connected SAP back-end functionality to the Office front-end," said Marcus Dee, managing director, looksoftware. "We've built SNAP to provide the System i marketplace with an easy plug and play capability with all the leading front-ends, resulting in increased acceptance of IBM midrange back-end applications. SNAP also supports rich and thin clients enabling a single SNAP project to be deployed as rich clients for internal users and as zero deployment, AJAX-based thin clients where required for external users.

Solution provider Agilysys is also interested in SNAP for its material management system (MMS) which is used by 80 percent of the casinos on the strip in Las Vegas, including MGM properties like Mandalay Bay and New York New York, Boyd's casino properties, the Gold Nugget and the Venetian. Arjen Verkerk from Agilysys said, "Around 70 percent of users of MMS actually spent most of their day in Microsoft Outlook, so providing MMS integration with Office means our customers can cut costs through streamlined workflows."

looksoftware's SNAP for Microsoft Office and SharePoint is scheduled for general availability in June 2008.