Teamware Group, leading provider of intranet, extranet and Internet solutions, announces today a brand new edition of Teamware Pl@za®, a Java-based platform for creating interactive portal solutions. Teamware Pl@za 3.5 provides tools for virtual workspaces, developing efficient communications and creating loyalty through the web for corporations, associations and the public sector where community interaction and transactions are key to success. The new version offers enhanced collaboration, new publishing capabilities, easier than ever content updating, as well as new possibilities for integration. It will be available in July 2002.

Enhanced collaboration
With the launch of Teamware Pl@za 3.5, Teamware introduces improved support for groupwork. The virtual workspaces, their members and services can now be easily managed. The manager of each group can flexibly create, modify and subscribe to services such as discussion groups and document folders with a tick-in-the-box self service without using any system administrator or other support resources. True collaboration among workgroups, teams, committees, or projects means increased productivity and efficiency in performing shared work.

Event management features have been improved so that each event can be managed throughout its life cycle over the web. Communications between the event organizer and registered attendees is even more efficient than before. Other groupwork enhancements include an integrated Message Center and the introduction of the quick poll Survey.

Web publishing made simple
Pl@za 3.5 offers new possibilities in content provision, especially in publishing. Publisher offers support for a controlled and distributed publishing process with tools for different people participating in the publishing process. Thus, content can be produced at the origin of the information, and publications can be reviewed and approved by authorized editors before final publishing. Content providers can create content on the site without html skills. Publisher allows designing of consistent templates for publications so that they follow visual guidelines.

Publisher also supports certain automated tasks. For example, publications can be made visible and expire on defined dates, and archiving or deleting of expired publications can be performed automatically. Publisher uses a relational database for storaging.

Easier site maintenance and integration
Teamware Pl@za 3.5 and related components include important features, which add significantly to Pl@za's integration capabilities. It is easier than ever to integrate to and synchronize with existing user databases. This extends the life cycle and use of the user databases and creates cost savings for customers. Data can also be synchronized at regular intervals automatically, which helps in guaranteeing that user data is up-to-date. With new Pl@za tools, simple database applications can be created quickly and cost efficiently when there is a need for customer-tailored services. Furthermore, new security improvements in the Windows environment are now enabled. For example, integrating Teamware Pl@za with IIS will provide SSL security for Pl@za on Windows 2000.