Yahoo peps up business portal

Yahoo has added wireless access to its Corporate Yahoo portal software in a bid to increase the profile of its fledgling enterprise portal offering.

The Yahoo PortalBuilder 2.0 server software allows access via wireless devices and includes improved administration tools for integration and personalisation, as well as support for Novell's NDS eDirectory.

The company also announced several new offerings including application service provider (ASP) hosting, internet services software, information intelligence/analytics and software management services.

New partners include ASP Corio, which will offer hosting, support and management services to Corporate Yahoo customers, and Reuters, the global information, news and technology group, which will resell the portal to its business users.

Yahoo has also signed agreements with nQuire Software, which will provide personalised information from structured data sources including data warehouses and marts, and Intraware, which will offer an archive from which to download software and updates for PortalBuilder 2.0.

The company also said that it is building momentum for its enterprise services business and has signed new licensing agreements with companies including Bayer AG, its first European customer, Seagate and McDonald's.

Corporate Yahoo allows businesses to customise internet content and services on their websites and integrate them with proprietary corporate content and applications behind firewalls. Yahoo claims it has sold more than 800,000 licensed seats for the Corporate service.