April 2008

LAS VEGAS, NV - 09 Apr 2008: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that its new portal software with Web 2.0 support will ship this quarter. Called IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1, it is designed to securely combine information from both the enterprise and the Web.

A portal is a technology for providing external and internal Web sites which can deliver information, applications, and processes to provide a personalized experience to individuals. Web 2.0 technologies are increasingly being used for business by empowering people with content, social connections and other tools to solve problems.

IBM has gathered feedback from 4,000 beta testers of its new portal software. As a result, the company has made several improvements, making it a more powerful choice to help teams collaborate, innovate and execute. The beta version was tested by companies in a variety of industries worldwide including financial services, healthcare, government, telecommunications, security and IT, including IBM systems integrator Ascendant Technology.

"We've been testing WebSphere Portal version 6.1 and fully expect it to exceed the expectations of our customers," said Jim Deters, President, Ascendant Technology, a company that sells service oriented architecture (SOA), Portal and Business Process Management software and services. "The significant Web 2.0 capabilities and enhanced deployment and administrative features of this new release will address the top requirements our customers have been requesting."

"This is a first-of-its-kind Web 2.0 portal because it helps users interact with the information and people they need around the clock, from the Web and from within an organization," said Larry Bowden, vice president, Portals and Web Interactive Services, IBM. "A portal is important because it's the first step in implementing any SOA strategy," he added.

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23857.wss