IBM Forms 4.0 provides a compelling interactive user interface and lower total cost of ownership for automating forms-based processes
IBM Forms 4.0 helps line of business as well as IT users to automate forms-based processes. It is designed to help deliver the following benefits:
- Compelling, interactive user experience through new modern look and feel and Web 2.0 user interface
- Reduced time to value and total cost of ownership
- Lower development cost through reusable forms components
- Improved integration with existing infrastructure through improved web service interaction
- Improved performance and scalability through 64-bit support in server
Higher productivity through anytime, anywhere access on tablets like iPad
The change of name is not a massive deal, as IBM seems to regularly move products between brands, and occasionally back to the mother ship of just being IBM-branded – the dreaded Workplace line of products flip-flopped several times. Also, to be honest, Forms isn’t a ‘collaborative product’ per se, it fits more elegantly within the transactional line of IBM web solutions – WebSphere etc. Therefore, it makes sense to move it out of the Lotus portfolio.
More interestingly, I do like the way IBM is beginning to very publicly provide support for mobile computing – here adding iPad support to Forms. Clearly they get how important this aspect is going to be in the next 3-5 years.