The notion of out-of-the-box solutions is as old as complex problems and the promise of a quick fix. Until recently, though, promises far exceeded deliverables as intranet design resisted Pour-and-Serve automation.

Now relative newcomer Oblix Inc. of Cupertino, CA promises to take you away from all that with IntraPower Suite 2.0, a bundle of working Java^TM applications for corporate Intranets. The suite centers on three applications designed to improve corporate communications:

• An employee directory
• room scheduler
• Group Manager (for group collaboration and document sharing).

Oblix hopes to capture new market share with version 2.0, which adds scalability and an improved feature set to the successful first release.

Groupware Revisited

Taking an atypical horizontal approach to groupware, which traditionally offers vertical integration, Oblix avoids locking customers into a rigid set of technologies. The IntraPower apps can be run separately or in conjunction with existing web software. This is largely due to the product's rigorously standards-based, cross-platform design, which relies on HTML, Java, and JavaScript (rather than proprietary client/server techniques) to add value even on heterogeneous webs.

Oblix has done a good job pulling together the applications most often requested by Intranet users. To its credit, Oblix hasn't bitten off more than it can chew by trying to satisfy all comers with infinite functionality. IntraPower Suite concentrates on managing a handful of closely related, high value applications centering on a common theme -- employee collaboration and communication.

Showcasing Directory Services

I was impressed "out-of-the-box" by IntraPower's Employee Directory application. The product leverages Java -- something we've all been waiting to happen -- to organize and display employee information in diverse ways.

The Employee Directory application [enlarge].

The Employee Directory features a powerfully organized directory that can be searched on any number of specified fields. In addition, the directory can be viewed as a Java-based interactive organizational chart complete with Java-based dynamic business cards. The interactive org chart allows users to navigate through the company hierarchy, while the business cards change automatically to display relevant contact information, such as the employee's title, e-mail address, and phone number.

The visuals can be configured to display any number of custom-defined fields. Moreover, the application lets authorized users tailor information and add it to the directory. These features, already promising in the current release, will no doubt benefit from forthcoming JDK advancements such as Swing, SunSoft's new visual object standard. I see Oblix incorporating these niceties with very little incremental effort.

Companies making use of Netscape's Directory Server will be happy to know that IntraPower Suite 2.0 supports full, direct access (read and write!) via the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Because of the sensitive nature of data that is often housed on LDAP servers, IntraPower Suite employs security measures that allow administrators to control read/write access to data on a field-by-field, user-by-user basis. For companies not using Netscape's Directory Server, a separate utility is included that allows for the conversion of delimited data files into either LDAP or Versit format for importing into IntraPower Suite. [Learn more about LDAP in IDM's Foundation Series.]

Meets & Greets

IntraPower Suite's second application is a company-wide Room Scheduler. A powerful application that allows users to reserve rooms and other shared resources, Room Scheduler supports single or multiple locations. Users can browse through the building hierarchies or use the applications built-in search engine to find a suitable room based on any number of customizable criteria such as room size, available equipment, etc.

The Room Scheduler application [enlarge].

Scheduling a room is a simple and painless process that entails nothing more than a few quick mouse clicks. After locating a suitable room, users drag the mouse over a time line (rendered with Java) to highlight the period for which they wish to reserve the room. As with any decent scheduling app, rooms can be reserved on a one-time or recurring basis, while associated meetings can be designated public or private.

Oblix goes beyond this functional baseline, though, letting users upload files such as the meeting agenda, minutes from previous meetings, or other relevant documents to the server where meeting participants can get at them. This simple feature is great for putting information in the right hands in a collaborative context.

In a powerful display of integration, meeting attendees can be selected and notified by e-mail either manually, or by using a built-in selector wizard fed from the Employee Directory application. Changes to meeting particulars can also be made quite easily, with attendees automatically apprised of updates by e-mail.

Enabling the Virtual Office

The final application bundled as part of IntraPower Suite 2.0 is the Group Manager. Through the clever use of Java, this collaboration and document sharing tool allows users to create and maintain public or private groups. Oblix Group Manager is neither a chat nor a threaded discussion application. It is web-based document sharing software with basic, but powerful, document management capabilities.

The Group Manager application [enlarge].

Groups are created ad hoc using a selector wizard in conjunction with the Employee Directory application. Once a group is created, members can easily find contact information about other members in the group. Groups enable such collaborative functions as mailing lists and document sharing. Documents can be uploaded to the server and made accessible to group members on a group-by-group basis. Because IntraPower Suite 2.0 is an integrated application suite, groups created in the Group Manager are immedaitely accessible from the Room Scheduler application, making it easy to convene groups for the occasional non-virtual meeting.

Out of the Box, Onto Your Network

From an administrator's point of view, IntraPower Suite 2.0 is a dream come true. Remarkably little configuration is needed to get the applications up and running. Once up, the apps are largely self-sustaining and user-administrable. Moreover, companies with established look-and-feel standards on their Intranet will benefit from IntraPower Suite's customizable interface, which invites the addition of company logos, employee photos, etc.

And now the question you've all been waiting to ask: isn't there anything wrong in this box? Well, yes. But its not Oblix's fault, honest. Blame the immature, conflicted state of Java technology for problems with printing, browser compatability, performance and visuals. As noted above, JDK improvements will remedy these problems over time. Meanwhile, I'd like to see Oblix implement a platform specific plug-in, as Net-It Software has done, to enable the printing of org charts, meeting schedules, etc. These artifacts still aren't virtual where I work.

Overall, IntraPower Suite 2.0 is a solid product that merits serious consideration by those seeking out-of-the-box functionality for their Intranets. Webs hosted on Netscape will benefit especially from Oblix's tight integration with Netscape ONE standards, notably LDAP. I look forward to future versions of the Suite supporting other LDAP servers, such as those from Novell, Microsoft, and Lotus.

As befits a Java-based tool, IntraPower Suite 2.0 is available for Windows NT 3.51, 4.0, Sun Solaris 2.4, 2.5, and Silicon Graphics IRIX 6.2. Supported Web servers include Netscape FastTrack and Enterprise Servers 2.0+, Microsoft Internet Information Server 2.0+, and (impressively) the freeware Apache httpd.

Pricing ranges from $10 to $20 per seat based on the number of seats licensed. For more information visit Intraware, an Oblix reseller.

About the Author Rob Bilson is a freelance writer and the Senior Webmaster at Amkor Electronics, the global leader in semiconductor IC packaging, assembly and test. In addition, he can of ten be found doing consulting work for the Hard Drive Cafe, a Delaware-based Internet/Intranet consulting firm.