IBM has unveiled the IBM Mashup Center, a new facility that will host a free trial version on the Web for users to experiment with and build customized mashups.
Hailing it as “the industry’s first mashup portfolio for business” the center aims to allow business users to create situational applications, or mashups, by remixing information from anywhere to gain business insight and do their jobs smarter and more effectively.
According to the big blue its mashup technology is so simplified that even non-technical users will be able to exploit standards and Web-based technology to gain access to myriad information, such as Web sites and feeds, spreadsheets, databases, applications, unstructured text from an email, video, audio and other information on the Web, and make sense of it all in minutes.
Beginning June 16, 2008 IBM will offer customers the opportunity to experiment with IBM Mashup Center and gain hands on experience for free through IBM Lotus Greenhouse greenhouse.lotus.com. Lotus Greenhouse is a Web site where anyone can register and try out IBM Mashup Center, as well as other collaborative products, such as IBM Lotus Connections, Lotus Quickr, Lotus Sametime and Websphere Portal.
This comes at a time in which innovative companies of every size are beginning to realize the possibilities of Web 2.0, but require security, management and governance capabilities to responsibly take advantage of these possibilities says IBM.
The Mashup Center gives users the freedom to create new, light weight applications on the fly and get customized views of disparate information, but with the stability corporations require. IBM's deep history in open standards, information integration and emerging Internet technologies, make the company an undeniably strong partner in a new technology era.
"IBM Mashup Center is designed for the majority of business users to create situational applications immediately to fill a need - iterate and innovate as they desire, share mashups with others and be empowered, all while letting IT managers sleep at night, knowing the technology is secure and managed at the enterprise level," said Larry Bowden, Vice President, Portals and Mashups, IBM Software Group.
IBM said it is working with an ecosystem of Business Partners such as Jibes, JustSystems, Kapow Technologies and StrikeIron to help customers get the most out of situational applications.
An on-premise version of IBM Mashup Center is expected to be delivered mid-year, and pricing details will be made public at that time. |
