IBM technology codenamed "SMash" (short for "secure mashups") is designed to secure mashups. Mashups are Web applications that pull information from multiple sources such as Web sites, databases, or e-mail messages, to create a unified view. Mashups let non-technical users quickly gain insight on complex situations, but until now there hasn't been a good means to secure these mashups. SMash technology lets information from different sources talk to each other, but keeps them separate so malicious code can't enter enterprise systems.
IBM is contributing SMash technology to the OpenAjax Alliance, an organization of vendors, open source projects, and companies using Ajax that are dedicated to the successful adoption of open and interoperable Ajax Web technologies. IBM is a founding member of the Alliance, and helps create standards to support innovation and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies.
SMash contributes to browser mashup security by keeping code and data from each source separate, while permitting controlled data sharing through a secure communication channel. IBM plans to include SMash technology in some WebSphere products as well as Lotus Mashups. IBM Lotus Mashups is a commercial mashup maker for business, designed to let non-technical users create and share mashups securely.
"Web 2.0 is fundamentally about empowering people, and has created a societal shift in the way we organize, access, and use information," said Rod Smith, IBM Fellow and vice president. "Security concerns can't be a complete inhibitor or clients lose out on the immense benefit mashups bring. The same way you wouldn't buy a car and then later decide to have the seatbelts or airbags installed, as an industry we've learned how to build security into business operations from the ground up instead of tacking it on after the fact."
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