NEWS: PERSONALIZE YOUR WEB APPLICATIONS

THE CUSTOMER'S VIEWPOINT SecureWay On-Demand Server beta customer Connecticut Department of Public Health is developing a newborn screening program that will enable staff at the state's hospitals to submit mandatory newborn information via the Web. "We're developing an easier, more efficient process for collecting newborn information," says Paul Dzilenski, senior technical analyst for the state of Connecticut. "With SecureWay On-Demand Server, we can control access and personalize the information medical staff see, thus reducing their workload. We're also able to log activities using SecureWay On-Demand Server's API and event log."

SecureWay On-Demand Server provides new user customization options to improve usability and productivity

IBM has developed a new version of its SecureWay On-Demand Server to deliver personalized Web applications to users and groups based on individual preferences, access rights, and device capabilities. New features in On-Demand Server Version 2 include two-staged personalization, enhanced security and directory features, and additional support for multiple servers and the Sun® Solaris® and Linux operating systems.

Other features include:

• A flexible new design that gives administrators the ability to deliver applications across multiple servers.
• Two-staged personalization that enables administrators to establish policy-based rules in addition to allowing users to set preferences within policy-based guidelines.
• Security features that include industry-standard methods for authentication and authorization for controlling access to services and software. Security enhancements also include industry-standard encryption methods to protect user, group, and preference data from unautho-rized access.
• Support for Java applets, servlets, applications, HTML, and XML.
• Tivoli® premier-level certification, including Global Enterprise Management instrumentation.
• An enhanced, easy-to-use toolkit that is integrated with Java-based visual development programming tools to provide full access to On-Demand Server services.
• Expanded platform support, which includes Sun Solaris and Linux operating systems (the Linux version is currently available in beta format).

Secure Access through Defined Policies
On-Demand Server Version 2 is Java-based software that simplifies the secure delivery of personalized Web applications to network users. Key to the software is the concept of "profile serving," which enhances Web application server environments by providing personalized, yet controlled, user access to Web applications based on individual needs and organizational policies. Profile serving is especially critical in enterprises that maintain many different types of applications and support a large number of users on various types of client devices.

On-Demand Server provides the flexibility to customize access to applications and securely deliver them to any user at any device from any point in the network. The new enhancements are especially designed to help organizations in which policies drive the need to control users' access to information.

For example, a corporate finance department obviously needs access to statistical software and company revenue numbers, but other departments should be restricted from accessing such sensitive data. Using On-Demand Server, network administrators can provide secure access to certain data for just the specific people or departments who need it. These users can then access the data from any Java-enabled Web browser, including the new wave of non-PC "pervasive computing" devices. On-Demand Server supports the following industry standards: JNDI, HTTP, Secure HTTP, Java RMI, SSL, and LDAP. It also supports Java applets, Java servlets, and Java applications, as well as simple HTML and XML. Currently available worldwide in 10 languages, On-Demand Server Version 2 supports IBM AIX®, OS/390®, and OS/400® (available 4Q99); Microsoft® Windows NT; Sun Solaris; and Linux operating system platforms.

IBM SECUREWAY ON-DEMAND SERVER AT A GLANCE On-Demand Server is an intelligent, policy-based profile server that enables robust, on-demand delivery of personalized Web solutions to any client in an enterprise-class Web network. Delivery of applications is based on redefined access rights, individual or group references, and device capabilities. In addition, On-Demand Server: Delivers customized Web solutions using two-staged personalization Brings enterprise-class characteristics such as scalability and recoverability to the Web environment Centralizes and unifies administration across multiple Web application servers Enables developers to quickly build in secure access and manageability Works with existing Web infrastructures and supports most popular Web browsers Helps expand market reach to pervasive computing users Helps reduce administrative support and network computing costs Is Tivoli and Year 2000 ready

For more information
Visit www.ibm.com/software/network/on-demand.