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Workplace Gets More AccessibleWorkplace Gets More Accessible
IBM releases WebSphere Portal software and expands Lotus Workplace app to offer small and midsize businesses collaboration and content management.
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IBM Lotus last week expanded its lineup of Workplace client-computing software, debuting an Express version of the product for small and midsize businesses. The company also rolled out a new release of its WebSphere Portal software, new vertical-industry Workplace packages, and a hosted version of its Web-conferencing service.
Flexibility FeaturesWorkplace Services Express includes: |
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DOCUMENT LIFE CYCLE Check-in, checkout, private drafts, comment and review, approvals, version history |
SEARCH Web sites, shared files in document libraries, team spaces and applications, indexes hundreds of document formats |
TEAM COLLABORATION Create shared team spaces, set up chat rooms and shared calendars, take surveys and track tasks, access to mail, calendar, and address book |
PREDEFINED TEMPLATES Prearranged pages and portlets optimized for certain tasks; templates include chat room, discussion, document library, event planning, employee HR site, meeting materialsData: IBM Lotus |
Workplace was designed for deployment within large businesses. IBM Workplace Services Express 2.0 is geared toward organizations with up to 750 users and departments within large organizations. Workplace 2.0 offers collaboration, document-management, portal services, and other capabilities.
The Express version includes an active installer feature to speed installation and templates for creating composite application services. It provides direct access to a user's existing applications and data, as well as E-mail, instant messaging, and other collaboration tools, IBM says. The software will be available in mid-December.
As of September, Workplace, which debuted earlier this year, was deployed on one million desktops, according to Ambuj Goyal, IBM general manager of workplace, portal, and collaboration software. "That's tremendous growth, but still not fast enough for us," Goyal said during a news conference last week.
"They've clearly put some thought into making the installation and deployment easier for [companies] that don't have a lot of resources," says Mark Levitt, an International Data Corp. analyst.
WebSphere Portal 5.1, due this month, includes a version of Lotus Workplace Web Content Management to deliver up-to-date content to users. IBM Lotus Web Conferencing Service, available next month, is a hosted version of the vendor's Web-conferencing software.
IBM Lotus also unveiled 17 new Workplace packages for more than 30 job functions in vertical industries. Pricing for all the new products will be announced when they become available.
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