Enterprise software vendor looks to tear down walls between enterprise
data and the web.
Enterprise software vendor looks to tear down walls between enterprise
data and the web.
Oracle has unveiled its new WebCenter Suite, which the firm claims is the first set of enterprise grade Web2.0 development tools.
The set of middleware tools promises to break down the barriers between data that is stored in web based portals, enterprise applications and interactive online applications that are grouped under the Web2.0 moniker.
"Today enterprise portals provide you a way to aggregate information into a common dashboard, but the amount of interactivity that you get with enterprise portals is very limited," Oracle's senior vice president of development for middleware Thomas Kurian said in a keynote presentation at the Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco.
The tools were inspired by blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and other web2.0 technologies such as the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) programming platform that is used fto build internet applications like Digg and Flickr.
The combination of the enterprise data and interactive online applications will let enterprises craft new applications that combine data from several enterprise applications such as customer relationship management, enterprise resource management and human resource management tools.
"WebCenter provides you with a way to build very sophisticated web2.0 user interaction environments," claimed Kurian.
Using open web standards, WebCenter promises to support both PC browsers as well as mobile devices, internet telephony services and Microsoft Exchange and Office products.
The new Oracle suite is based on the company's Java based Webcenter Framework and a Services component that offers search and VoIP messaging services. The company is furthermore offering an Anywhere component that delivers integration with mobile devices as well as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office.
Oracle's WebCenter offers developers new Studio and Composer tools. The first exposes the necessary service to developers and the second allows them to build application user interfaces based on Ajax technology.
The new suite will be available as on option for the company's Application Server Enterprise Edition at a price of US$50,000 per CPU. It is scheduled for availability later this year.