WebSphere Portal
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Enterprise software |
| Predecessor | IBM WebSphere Portal |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | IBM |
| Fate | Acquired by HCL Technologies in July 2019 |
| Headquarters | India |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | HCL Technologies |
| Parent | HCL Technologies |
HCL Digital Experience is a comprehensive enterprise software solution designed for creating and administering web portals, facilitating access to web content and applications while delivering tailored user interactions.
Initially created by IBM as a component of the WebSphere application portfolio, WebSphere Portal has been available since 2001 and comes in five distinct editions. In July 2019, IBM transferred ownership of WebSphere Portal along with several other products to HCL Technologies, which now oversees its development and distribution.
WebSphere Portal has earned numerous accolades within the industry, including eWeek Magazine’s 2004 Excellence Award for "Portals and Knowledge Management," Java Pro Magazine’s 2003 Reader’s Choice Award for "Best Team Development Tool," and the Software and Information Industry Association’s 2003 Codie Award for "Best Enterprise Portal Platform."
Components
The WebSphere Portal suite is offered in five versions: WebSphere Portal Server, Enable, Enable for z/OS, Extend, and Express.
The foundational edition bundles a web server, WebSphere Application Server, LDAP directory, IBM DB2 database, development utilities, website templates, and core site management features such as a configuration wizard. Certain editions also provide limited access to Lotus Web Content Management, Lotus Quickr document management, Lotus Sametime instant messaging, and Lotus Forms electronic forms. For the WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS edition, separate purchases of WebSphere Application Server and IBM DB2 are required.
IBM has announced that WebSphere Portal will be incorporated into the IBM Customer Experience Suite.
Industry standards
WebSphere Portal complies with established industry protocols including the Java Portlet Specification (JSR 168/v1 and JSR 286/v2) as outlined by the Java Community Process, along with the Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP 1.0 and 2.0) standards developed by the OASIS Technical Committee.
The client-delivered markup adheres to XHTML and CSS guidelines set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), while its JavaScript conforms to ECMA standards.
History
| WebSphere Portal version | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.1.5 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 1.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | Sept 2019 | December 2016 | June 2014 | May 2012 | September 2010 | December 2009 | July 2008 | February 2007 | December 2003 | August 2003 | December 2002 | May 2002 | December 2001 | July 2001 |
IBM launched WebSphere Portal Server initially for AIX in 2001. Subsequent releases expanded support to Linux, Microsoft Windows, HP-UX, Solaris, IBM i, and z/OS platforms.
The April 2006 release of version 6.0 introduced Workflow capabilities, IBM Workplace Web Content Management (currently IBM Web Content Management), IBM Workplace Forms (now IBM Lotus Forms), along with integration of Bowstreet Portlet Factory (currently WebSphere Portlet Factory).
Version 6.1, issued in March 2009, brought enhancements in Web 2.0 functionality, support for RESTful services, and Atom/RSS feed consumption. The Feature Pack 6.1.5 released in November 2009 added new page builder functionalities, improved platform startup performance, and broadened integration with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems and Web analytics tools.
Announced in September 2010, version 7.0 followed by version 8.0 in May 2012 introduced further advancements; version 8.5 arrived in June 2014 featuring improvements targeting mobile web experiences and upgrades to Web Content Management.
In mid-2019, IBM divested WebSphere Portal alongside IBM BigFix, IBM AppScan, IBM Unica, and IBM WebSphere Commerce to HCL Technologies. HCL remains responsible for ongoing development of the platform.
Current version
Maintaining a leading role in essential portal open standards, such as the Java Specification Request (JSR) 286 and Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) 2.0.
IBM Lotus Web Content Management offers improved integration capabilities, featuring notable enhancements in both its user interface and overall functionality.
The release of IBM WebSphere Portal and Lotus Web Content Manager version 8.0 introduced the 'Managed Pages' capability, which supports page administration within Lotus Web Content Management, along with server syndication, workflow processes, and version control. The subsequent update, version 8.0.0.1, incorporated the 'inline edit' function, enabling users to modify content directly on portal pages without accessing a separate Authoring Interface.