Hummingbird’s e-Gateway Builds on EIP
In an attempt to better address the needs of remote users and add another application to its Enterprise Information Portal (EIP), Hummingbird Communications Ltd. (Toronto) recently announced a new addition to its family, the Hummingbird e-Gateway.
A portal-integrated, HTML-based Web-to-host connectivity solution, Hummingbird e-Gateway allows enterprise information from AS/400, IBM mainframe, Linux, and Unix application screens to be published and viewed in custom, graphical screens to anyone using a Web browser or the EIP. It bridges the gap between these host systems and users by translating 3270, 5250 and VT220 data streams dynamically into HTML pages.
| Hummingbird’s e-Gateway helps bridge the gap between 3270, 5250 and VT220 host systems by dynamically translating those data streams into HTML pages. |
“Hummingbird e-Gateway is the perfect solution for combining host-based data and Web technologies,” says Gary Treyman, senior director network connectivity product marketing at Hummingbird. “This ultra thin Java-based solution is ideal for providing access to traditional, host applications and information for low bandwidth users. Hummingbird e-Gateway enables e-business by encouraging collaboration amongst dispersed users.”
For remote users, this new solution provides a quicker, more cost-effective alternative to other Web-to-host products in the Hummingbird family, such as HostExplorer Web. Lightweight on the client side, e-Gateway requires nothing on the desktop and no download is needed. “Remote users will use e-Gateway instead of HostExplorer Web or Exceed Web because it accesses the information quicker and does not require a download,” says Marnie Biles, manager of product marketing services at Hummingbird.
Scheduled to begin shipping in May, e-Gateway can also be used to perform other functions within an enterprise. It enables collaboration across intranets and extranets for authorized employees, partners, vendors and customers. Because of its ability to integrate remote users, intranet and extranet users with business-critical applications and information, Hummingbird’s e-Gateway allows organizations to work together more efficiently.
The e-Gateway can also be used for e-business purposes, improving the supply and distribution chains, increasing sales, reducing costs and enhancing customer service.
When viewing host data that has been recently updated, there are two alternatives. The traditional method is displaying the updates on a page-by-page request. Through the other option, the Remote Page Control functionality remotely monitors the host and instantly redisplays only the updated data to the user.
Users have the option to display the host data from either a traditional green screen or a Web-based GUI. A customer can also purchase the Hummingbird e-Toolkit for further customization. The combination of the two allows developers to selectively customize the rejuvenation of host applications screens and deploy them as tailored and personalized GUIs.
Additional features include: Hummingbird CAP server support—a secure, single sign-on authentication solution that consolidates local Windows NT, NT domains, LDAP, NIS, Active Directory, NDS or native Unix domain accounts; security via secure http enables IT administrators to connect through proxy-compliant firewalls to extend application and information access across intranets and extranets; and centralized management to give network administrators the power to configure, deploy and meter user access to host systems.
Although it can be purchased as a standalone product, Hummingbird e-Gateway can also be used to extend the capabilities of the Hummingbird EIP. The e-Gateway is integrated into the portal as an e-Clip—Hummingbird’s architecture that enables the EIP to grow with an organization.
Through open, published APIs, the Hummingbird EIP provides the ability to integrate other applications—whether it is e-Gateway or HostExplorer Web—and works with any custom systems or data source in the enterprise. “The Hummingbird e-Gateway provides a unique differentiator to the Hummingbird EIP,” says Biles. “It fills a need that our customers were asking about.”
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Hummingbird Revamps HostExplorer Web ProductRelated Information:
Hummingbird Communications Ltd. (new window)e-Gateway Product Information (new window)