Web 2.0 101

 What Can Web 2.0 Do for Me? What is a Thin Client?

"Employees enjoy having secure access to documents, reports, real-time business information, and management tools in their browser. Portals work with the latest web and data standards to deliver useable, flexible and inexpensive software applications, to large groups of people in diverse locations. New applications require no deployment costs and little training." 

Thin Client

A thin client is one of the things Web 2.0 can do for you. A thin client is something which is already on a user's computer, or something which is very small and easy to install, which allows a user to access a multi-user system, such as a large contact database or a banking transaction system.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is called "Web 2.0" instead of "Corporate Services 2.0" or "Map Delivery System 2.0" or "Email 2.0", because the only thin client required by all these new technologies is a web browser. Imagine - your application is already installed everywhere.

H&R Block's newest office system was designed with Tibco General Interface, a very mature AJAX and web services tool. Suddenly, H&R Block no longer had to regularly install software on thousands and thousands of office computers. This is a well-publicized example of Web 2.0 success.

Such secure corporate Web 2.0 systems require only that a user sit down at a web browser. NSK's latest systems automatically log users onto the data system using their Microsoft Active Directory information, automatically talk to their Exchange mailboxes, and are capable of sending calendar and appointment items within the network or all over the world.

Our intranet applications are aware of user permissions, security policies, and group memberships. For clients with even stronger security needs, virtual desktop environments from Citrix and VMWare can be used to deliver intranet workspaces to users, with complete control over customization of the desktop work environment.  

Written by Keith Mitchell, Senior Developer at NSK Inc