With an upgrade to its Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite being released Monday, Nexaweb will focus on visual capabilities for building mashups.

Nexaweb is among a growing list of companies such as IBM, BEA Systems, and JackBe flying the flag for mashup technology. To be unveiled at the AJAXWorld conference in Santa Clara, Calif., Nexaweb's upgraded suite makes it easier to build "developer-driven mashup" applications.

"[Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite] allows you to mix together different data from different locations and easily combine them in an application," said Rob Gagne, vice president of engineering at Nexaweb.

An example of a mashup application could be one that visualizes sales data on top of a map. Also, a composite application could be assembled where a call center is integrated with telephony capabilities and a customer database, Gagne said.

The new release offers ease of use through the addition of tools such as a visual designer with drag-and-drop component building. Users also gain drag-and-drop capabilities to link to Web services and databases. "We provide visual design tools around taking different components and different data feeds and hooking them up through cross-component data-binding," said Gagne.

An integrated event model also is featured; developers can visualize event workflows.

Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite features a framework for deploying applications in a browser, a network tier to move data from the server to client, and clustering and failover capabilities. Enterprise connectivity is enabled through linkages to message buses such as Java Message Service systems or MQSeries. Developers can use technologies such as AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) or Java.

Also highlighted are integrated debugging, testing, and governance capabilities.

Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite is "one of the more robust enterprise mashup suites that you'll find out there," said analyst Anthony Bradley, research director at Gartner.

Users can access legacy systems and make them mashup-capable, he said. Nexaweb's user interface is very portal-like, which may make a lot of enterprises comfortable but could be limiting, said Bradley.

Mashups themselves are about building applications that may have a shelf life of only a few hours, Bradley said. For example, an application could be built that brings together data to analyze an acquisition by Cisco Systems, he said.

"You just built an application that may only live for a day," Bradley said.

With the Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite, a developer could choose AJAX for building Web site enhancements or simple applications such as a mortgage calculator. For more complex systems, such as an end-to-end foreign exchange trading program with 500 screens, developers could use Java.

There is no new version number for the new product. Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite costs $17,500 for the platform and support for three developers, who could build an application supporting hundreds of users.

The product has been in use at 5,000 companies, according to Nexaweb. 

Separately from the company's AJAXWorld unveiling, Nexaweb is continuing its Web2SOA Ecosystem Program, featuring partner companies integrating with applications built by Nexaweb's tools. Highlighted partners include Layer 7, which provides security around SOA components; HP Systinet, for governing SOA components; and Kapow Technologies, aggregating Web services used in applications.

"[Kapow offers] a very convenient way to access information from other Web sites, effectively scraping information," said David McFarlane, chief operating officer at Nexaweb. For instance, a mashup could be developed that accesses public health information from EPA Web sites and combines it with information on school districts.

Also at AJAXWorld, Backbase plans to introduce Enterprise Ajax 4, an AJAX framework for developing applications. The framework addresses issues such as browser incompatibilities, wiring of different widgets, and making widgets and components work together.

Also described as a browser-based application server, Enterprise Ajax 4 features a framework and development tools. The runtime supports browsers including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Firefox.

With Enterprise Ajax 4, structure, performance, and productivity are brought to client-side AJAX logic, the company said. Also, a dual JavaScript/XML API lets developers build applications in a familiar programming language.

Third-party components are supported, such as Yahoo UI components, Dojo Widgets, and Google Gadgets.