Oracle plans to release WebCenter Suite, a product for building application interfaces that incorporate content from a variety
of sources as well as "Web 2.0" tools such as blogs and wikis.
java sign
java signThe software aims to make workers more productive by providing access to a variety of content and services from one screen,
so they don't have to flip between different applications. Other vendors including IBM and Microsoft are working on similar
functionality.
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java signOracle announced WebCenter Suite at its OpenWorld conference in October. It will be sold as an add-on to Oracle Application
Server Enterprise Edition for $50,000 per CPU.
java sign
java signAt the heart of the product is WebCenter Framework, a technology based on JavaServer Faces that lets developers embed AJAX
(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) components, portlets and other content into a user interface. The suite also includes WebCenter
Services for embedding services such as Oracle Enterprise Search, VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) calling and wiki-building
tools into the interface.
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java signFor example, a manager's interface might include content from a PeopleSoft expense reporting application. If the manager wants
to query an expense item, the interface could include VOIP and presence capabilities that allow the manager to click on the
employee's name and initiate a VOIP call, said Rahul Patel, vice president for Oracle server technologies.
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java signIn another example, a manager in charge of a project could set up a wiki using a template and software wizard and invite members
of the project team to participate.
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java signAndreas Chatziantoniou, a software consultant with Accenture Technology Services in the Netherlands, said WebCenter's appeal
lies partly in its close ties with Oracle's database and application server, meaning Oracle customers can use those existing
infrastructure products to deploy the blogs and wikis.
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java signOracle's applications customers should also pay attention to WebCenter Suite. As well as being offered as a stand-alone product,
it will eventually serve as the default interface for Oracle's Fusion applications, a merger of its Oracle, Siebel and PeopleSoft
applications due in 2008.
java sign
java sign"Details on the functionality planned for the initial Fusion application release are nonexistent to date, but now we can at
least see how Oracle thinks users will interact with the future suite," wrote Jim Murphy, an analyst with AMR Research, in
a research note about WebCenter.
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java signDespite the similarities with portal software, Rahul said WebCenter is essentially the opposite of a portal: It allows developers
to put portal elements into an application (or application interface), rather than putting applications content into distinct
portal product.
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java signStill, at least one customer writing on the Oracle Technology Network wondered how long his investment in Oracle Portal would
remain viable, given the apparent overlap between the products. Peter Moskovits, product manager for WebCenter, replied that
Oracle Portal and WebCenter Suite would coexist at least "for the foreseeable future."
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java signDevelopers can include portlets created for any standards-based portal server in the WebCenter interface, Patel said. However,
for companies that have not yet deployed a portal server, he recommended moving straight to WebCenter Suite.
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java signOther Web 2.0 software being developed for the enterprise includes Microsoft's SharePoint 2007, SAP's Project Muse interface,
and products from small companies like Serendipity Technologies, said Mark Levitt, vice president for collaborative computing
and the enterprise with IDC. IBM also entered the game this week, announcing plans to bring Web 2.0 capabilities to its Lotus
Notes collaboration software.
java sign
java sign"Oracle WebCenter is the most ambitious attempt from a large established vendor to enable IT and end users to create mashups
from any application and information source, not just Oracle's," Levitt wrote in an email responding to questions. IBM's software
will also support enterprise mashups, he added.
