Mashup software provider JackBe has announced that its newest mashup platform, Presto 3.0, will be available in beta in the beginning of June and officially released June 30.
The platform offers a secure environment for data in mashed-up applications, which are governed by administrators and IT professionals through the server and new user interface, Presto Hub. Presto 3.0 also includes a new Mashboard and enhancements to its SharePoint and Wires features, all of which are used for easy application creation.
Additionally, with a “point-and-click” functionality, applications can be published securely to blogs, mobile devices, user desktops, SharePoint or other end points. Chris Warner, vice president of marketing, added that the applications will also run with the same code, security and connectivity whether in a corporation’s portal, on a Droid, an iPhone, a desktop or other places.
According to Forrester analyst James Kobielus, Presto 3.0 “takes [JackBe] into a broader application development world by offering a complete Web application development environment” with its security, development and deployment offerings.
Otherwise difficult to do without a platform, Presto 3.0 ensures “authentications, entitlements and permissions are adhered to,” since data can be taken from Oracle, SAP, SharePoint and other places, said John Crupi, JackBe’s CTO. The platform also allows users to create applications with higher levels of permissions and entitlements, improving security, he added.
The new Presto Hub also enables closer governance and security scrutiny. Administrators can delegate who has access to applications based on the sensitivity and criticality of information in them. This interface also acts as an application creation tool for business analysts and IT developers to find, rate, reuse and create mashed-up applications. The new Mashboard, a dashboard, is also an option to quickly create applications with an easy drag-and-drop method.
Presto 3.0 also includes enhancements to its SharePoint functionality. Here, users can make and share applications with SharePoint, pick any SharePoint server and, with one click, deploy the applications to SharePoint instances anywhere.
Wires, its visual tool for creating mashups, is also enhanced. The tool now enables users to visually create applications by merging and integrating content unique to their applications. Wires can take internal and external data, create a custom app, and deliver real-time information, Crupi said.
Although many platforms offer a place to develop and deploy, Kobielus has found that there is certainly still a spot for mashup platforms, especially because of “security and governance, which is where [JackBe’s] strength is.”