It has dawned on IBM that enterprise customers are going to start using Web 2.0 technologies to bypass some of Big Blue's more expensive infrastructure software (EAI anyone?). In response, IBM is embracing Web 2.0 and looking for ways to extend and reposition its products.
Apart from adding collaboration technologies to its server family and playing with mashup tools like QEDWiki, IBM is apparently helping standards bodies smoothe the way for enterprise-grade Web 2.0 apps with agreement on how to implement identity, security, etc in a mashup environment. I'm not holding my breath on the latter happening anytime soon, but is certainly critical to address these issues before corporates will adopt many of the Web 2.0 innovations.
This week IBM is hosting a mashup summit in California -- there is blogger coverage from Jeff Nolan here, Ross Mayfield here and Snaplogic here. Presenting companies included Web 2.0 platforms Kapow Technologies, Coghead, and Jackbe, mashups marketplace Strikeiron, and enterprise wiki company Socialtext, as well as what is perhaps the most syndicated Web 2.0 service in the world (apart from Google Maps): Accuweather.
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