Google gained a major new ally in its campaign to extend its applications and information services deeper into the enterprise with IBM's Feb. 28 announcement that it has integrated Google Gadgets with its WebSphere Portal.
Customers who use WebSphere Portal to build corporate Web sites will have access to more than 4,000 Google Gadgets, which are compact, pre-programmed applets and Web services that provide links to a variety of online information services, said Steven Ricketts, IBM's WebSphere Portal program director.
They include links to research databases, package delivery tracking systems, newswires, maps, podcast searches or YouTube videos—virtually any kind of information service that might be relevant to a business or consumer Web portal, he said.
The Google Gadgets in effect are being added to the thousands of pre-programmed WebSphere business application "portlets" that IBM already offers through its online catalog.
IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., also introduced a search site map utility, a site map protocol designed to make it easier for public search engines to find and index fresh content on corporate Web sites. The utility also provides gives Web sites the ability to notify search engines as to how frequently content is updated, the priority of the content and the last modification date. More information about the site map protocol can be found here.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: IBM Links Google Gadgets to WebSphere Portal.
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