Partnership creates e-commerce opportunities

Online customers are demanding easier ways to interact with traders and service providers

Businesses could benefit from a new partnership between Enterprise 2.0 firm WorkLight and widget platform provider Netvibes announced today.

The partnership is designed to provide secure enterprise widgets for transactional use within companies and in business-to-consumer scenarios.

Netvibes' Universal Widget API and personalised homepage platform will be combined with the WorkLight Server, which is able to "extract information from back-end systems and expose them through widgets" in a secure manner, according to Worklight vice president of product strategy David Lavenda.

This means that firms can offer customers a secure way to view account information, order products and carry out other tasks in a familiar environment, or for employees to carry out tasks internally, such as time reporting, he explained.

"Young people coming to organisations or doing business online want to use the tools they're used to using all the time," said Lavenda. "Trying to coerce them into using proprietary interfaces is no longer an option, but these firms are still fearful of security."

Richard Edwards, information management practice director at analyst firm Butler Group, suggested that demand is growing for a "cost-effective, customisable, consumer experience" within enterprises.

"It will be interesting to track the uptake of secure transactional widgets within the consumer and corporate market, and the impact it will have on how business is conducted online. Because, after all, every corporate employee is also a consumer," he said.