IBM Corp launched the first step of its Enterprise Information Portal software strategy this week, promising availability later this month. IBM said the software – largely a package of pre-existing tools – will allow users to access, search, integrate and manage a variety of information sources, including unstructured web data and Lotus Notes files.
Partners in the effort include A3 Solutions Inc, Brio Technology Corp, Cognos Inc, Hyperion Corp, Epicentric Inc, IKON Office Solutions Inc, DataChannel Corp, Plumtree Software Inc and Viador Corp. No applications vendors were included. IBM said it would also be offering associated new services through its Global Services division.
Oracle Corp claimed the announcement was a marketing exercise using the buzz of portals to encourage the take-up of more professional services. Oracle announced its own portal strategy in September (CI No 3,752), promising that the central portlet technology would be included in the next version of its WebDB software, release 3.0, available by the end of the year. ERP companies SAP AG, PeopleSoft Corp and JD Edwards & Co have announced similar strategies.
