Weblogs address authentication, security

Weblog vendors are steering the technology toward corporate collaboration needs with the addition of security, personalization, and integration features.

This week Traction Software plans to roll out Release 3.0 of its TeamPage Weblog software, with additions such as extensible authentication, Web services support, and enterprise search-engine compatibility. Socialtext recently introduced a software collaboration platform that combines Weblog and e-mail collaboration.

"[Weblogs are] a different way of partitioning a substantial chunk of collaboration functionality and reorganizing it to use Weblog-style capture, reporting, and communication," said Greg Lloyd, president of Traction.

TeamPage 3.0 provides Java code for LDAP and Active Directory plug-ins and the ability to connect to SSO (single sign-on) and micropayment offerings. Other new features include expanded language support, customizable user interfaces, compatibility with enterprise search engines, and SOAP binding capabilities.

Socialtext has unwrapped Workspace 1.0, its platform that adapts Weblogs and easy-to-use intranet sites called "wikis" for use in the enterprise. Available as a hosted service or a preconfigured appliance, Workspace 1.0 offers secure access with SSO to multiple workspaces, integration with e-mail workflows, and personalized navigation.

Weblogs are being pulled into the enterprise because e-mail as a collaboration tool is dying, said Ross Mayfield, CEO of Socialtext. "We are trying to take that same activity and move it from e-mail — a private space — to a public space that is designed for many-to-many interactions," he said.

Weblogs are poised for wider use in the enterprise, particularly with the addition of functions such as subject sorting, sophisticated filtering, and authentication, said Amy Wohl, editor of Amy D. Wohl's Opinions.