IBM announced an expansion of its enterprise mashup portfolio that incorporates the latest version of IBM Mashup Center and a new offering called IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service.
The new IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is an application programming interface (API) that automatically and securely exposes content from IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence as a Web service for use in other operational applications, business processes and mashups. By integrating entire reports, analyses and metrics-or just the most relevant parts-into key applications such as human resources, procurement, and sales management, users can quickly make informed decisions in the context of their daily business.
The latest version of IBM Mashup Center will include an extended array of information input sources, including Microsoft SharePoint, IBM WebSphere MQ and FileNet integration. And, according to IBM, offering improved security and governance, now, businesses can filter malicious content and stop the use of un-trusted widgets to prevent information stealing. Mashup Center is also now compliant with Section 208 of the U.S. Federal Government's e-Government Policy. Providing new collaboration and community tools, IBM Mashup Center allows businesses to create collections of mashup pages. Without requiring IT support, people can assemble a space around a specific business need or project to enhance collaboration and productivity. Providing new widget tools, in this release, a new browser-based tool lets people create simple widgets-small applications or pieces of content that can be placed on a Web page-right from their mashup to solve problems faster.
When IBM first entered the market with version 1 of IBM Mashup Center 15-16 months ago, observes Mark Heid, program director for Info 2.0 Business at IBM Information Management, "we had in mind the proverbial ‘long tail,'" and the expectation that it would be helpful in cases where a need for a new Web app was focused on a relatively small number of users and for a situation that just came up and had a relatively high level of urgency associated with it. "These are often cases that don't make the IT budget cut. We have definitely met that market need and have seen a lot of customer interest for what you could call ‘quick applications' that would be accomplished with this mashup platform," Heid notes.
But with version 2, he tells 5 Minute Briefing, IBM is also focusing as well on a more strategic use of the platform. "It is something that customers have come to as they have worked with us." Customers have found that the creation of quick apps is definitely something they can do with the platform, but they also see a strategic opportunity to develop an enterprise that is "more mashable," notes Heid. "SOA has been around for some time offering service-enablement within a given enterprise but there is this ‘last mile' of SOA that is often tough to finish and implement. These customers when they look at this mashup platform as a strategic possibility are looking at closing that last mile of SOA, or more generally service-enabling their enterprise infrastructure, so that it is more mashable, agile; they can create web apps on the fly, or produce quick apps more easily across the enterprise for more systemic or strategic purposes."
The latest version of IBM Mashup Center software is expected to be available this month. IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service is expected to be available in December.
For more information about IBM Mashup Center, go here.
For more on IBM Cognos 8 Mashup Service, go here.