Portal software offers instant collaborative tools
Published: 01 May 2003 17:18 BST
Using the WebSphere Portal Express portlet tools, you can build a bulletin board type of portal that includes calendaring, document sharing, news feeds, and email. The project or department members sign on to one logon screen for access to all the same resources and are presented with a secure Web-like interface to access portal resources. This interface can be customised by the individual, but within the limits specified by the portal administrator.
After the initial buzz of online collaboration wears off, portal users will undoubtedly want to do more. The next logical implementation is to develop a cross-departmental portal that allows collaboration among similar corporate units (for example, Accounting and Human Resources).
Once the cross-departmental hurdle is cleared, the portal customer should feel comfortable enough to extend the reach of portal software to include customers and vendors. Perhaps the biggest barrier to reaching this stage is customer or vendor requirements. The payoff, however, is tremendous when you consider how much you deal with vendors and how valuable knowing your customers' needs is.
How much does it cost?
In the past, portal deployment costs became unwieldy as the project grew in size. To minimise the budget battles faced by IT managers, IBM has decided to use per-user pricing for its WebSphere Portal Express product. At $72 (£44.70) per user (digital delivery only) for its basic package, IBM's WebSphere Portal Express allows customers to do smaller implementations more cost effectively before expanding the project.
As more functionality is added to the portal, the price scale remains relatively flat. IBM offers a Plus offering at just $114 per user. With the Plus package you get all the basic features of the Express product, plus instant messaging, team rooms, online awareness, group calendaring, document check-in/check-out, and project management.
Why now?
With the recent advancements in portal technology, the market outlook has never looked better for portal vendors. According to research firm IDC, the portal market is expected to grow to $3.1bn by 2006. So it is no wonder major players such as IBM are entering the fray to capture a piece of the action.
Customers will also benefit from the increased competition of IBM entering the small- to medium sized portal market. While Plumtree still holds a majority of the market share, the resurgence in interest from customers needing portal solutions should shake up the market considerably. You can expect more features included with better pricing as vendors compete for your IT budget.
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