TheBrain Technologies Corp. in two weeks will release its first enterprise-level platform for marrying a front-end portal with back-end application integration.
The Brain Enterprise Knowledge Platform, which will begin shipping Oct. 30, stems from the Santa Monica, Calif., companys roots in PersonalBrain, software that lets users organize Web pages, contacts, documents, e-mails and files in one place. The Enterprise Knowledge Platform, or EKP, extends that core functionality across the enterprise to integrate disparate applications and essentially build a re-usable database.
The way it works is the BrainEKP integrates information from document repositories, Web sites, databases and other backend applications. The platform, built on Java 2 Enterprise Edition, has connectors that talk to existing applications. The connectors bring together structured and unstructured data and show the relationships between applications. The end result is a visual map of business processes, according to Harlan Hugh, chief technology officer of TheBrain.
By leveraging the connections between pieces of information, BrainEKPs interface transforms isolated data into a graphical map. The map provides a framework for collaboration, according TheBrain officials.
There are four basic components to the platform. A universal data access component is the enterprise application integration piece that enables the integration from a variety of disparate sources. An integrated collaboration component allows users to share files, create links and share other application information in a manner that enables users to communicate in the same place they create and access information.
A visual user interface presents all the information gathered in an animated, graphical way. Lastly, a knowledge model describes the way an end-user uses information, according to Hugh. This enables a shared understanding of how an end-users information is connected, accessed and used to create a consistent approach to creating processes.