WebSphere Portal

IBM WebSphere Portal is already stable as the leading product on the portal solution market. It is an omnifaceted portal solution that primarily helps (tr note: something wrong with the original text here) improve Web interfaces, protect and preserve existing investments, increase effectiveness, and ensure future development possibilities. It also offers a personalized access place for information, applications, and services.

If you are looking for a portal solution for company intranets, customer-oriented portals, portals for B22B, or a combination of all the above, the IBM WebSphere Portal Server is the right choice.

WebSphere Portal V6 provides three editions:

• WebSphere Portal Server
• WebSphere Portal Enable
• WebSphere Portal Extend

IBM WebSphere Portal Server allows companies to create their own portal Websites for their employees, business partners, and customers. After logging in, users arrive at personalized Websites that allow them access to information as per their interest and needs. As has already been mentioned, personalized access to information allows markedly reduced quantity of information, which may not be necessary for employees. The main goal of the IBM portal solution is to make company information accessible to Internet (or intranet) users in consistent, personalized form.

WebSphere Portal also allows access through other alternative channels such as mobile devices in the form of mobile phones, Pads, light transmission devices, etc.

The last version of the portal is focused on the area of productivity of portal users, simplification of portlet software development, and support of standards based on JSR 168 and WSRP specifications. A marked change is that the basic functioning of all WebSphere Portal Servers also includes the function for managing content, workflow, instant messaging, and the functions of electronic forms.

WebSphere Portal Server

WebSphere Portal Server is an open portal solution that can be integrated with other products (e.g., QuickPlace, Sametime, e-mail, etc.). For example, these functions then allow portal users to send e-mails and to communicate online with users.

WebSphere Portal Server V6 supports integration with products and technologies of third parties. Support for the standard LDAP Directory server was already included in previous versions; new is support for multiple LDAPs within one authorized portal. Use3 possibilities  include primarily during the operation of so-called virtual portals, which are various authorized portals operated in a single piece of HW and a single installation of WebSphere Portal.

WebSphere Portal Enable

• Includes all functions of the WebSphere Portal Server product.
• Integrated functions of Web content management that allows accelerated compilation of modern Websites.
• Document libraries for easy sharing, searching, and organization of files within the community portal.
• Expanded searches in the portal with a broad range of search resources.

WebSphere Portal Extend

• Includes all the functions of the WebSphere Portal Enable product.
• Integrated functions of Web content management that allows accelerated compilation of modern Websites.
• Document libraries for easy sharing, searching, and organization of files within the community portal.
• Expanded searches in the portal with a broad range of search resources.

WebSphere Portal V6 brings new, innovative technological elements with the focus on the effective development of portal applications, high accessibility, support of standards, and a unique set of tools for the integration of applications, teamwork, work with documents, and many other useful tools.

Main benefits of the product:

• it provides a great Web interface with the help of Web 2.0 technology
• makes the operation of the entire company more effective
• contains personalized access to information
• offers an integrated user interface
• provides integrated searches
• with the help of integrated security and management it ensures access to individual resources

Main parts of the product:

• WebSphere Portal Server Framework – infrastructure for creating personalized Websites for each portal user.
• WebSphere Application Server – an application environment within which the Internet portal is operated.
• Portlets – this involves Java or HTML code, which is operated in the portal above the WebSphere Application Server and makes accessible company data through a standardized interface.
• WebSphere Portlet Factory – basic environment for designing and developing portlets, and also serves for the development of templates of future portlets.
• Tivoli Directory Server – a tool for user authentication and access to portal services.
• IBM DB2 Universal Database – storage for settings and configurations of portal environments