OpenConnect Officially Releases WebConnect 9.0
DALLAS, TEXAS (PRWEB) February 07, 2017 -- OpenConnect, a leader in enterprise software products that deliver efficiencies derived from objective workforce intelligence, analytics, and robotic process automation, has announced the official release of version 9.0 of its WebConnect™ terminal emulation software.
Numerous Fortune® 500 companies are among WebConnect’s regular daily users. Built with the benefit of OpenConnect’s long, groundbreaking experience in achieving maximum connectivity between mainframe systems and the workplace, WebConnect provides browser-based terminal emulation that allows legacy applications to interact seamlessly with today’s Web-based workplace.
Early versions of WebConnect depended heavily on Java® running in each user’s chosen Web browser. However, because Java support is increasingly becoming a thing of the past in the most widely used browsers, recent versions of WebConnect have included the option of an HTML5 client, which allowed some WebConnect customers to avoid the dependency upon Java. Now, with the release of WebConnect 9.0, OpenConnect has enhanced the HTML5 client to the point that most WebConnect prospects and customers can now achieve full terminal emulation functionality without Java.
More specifically, here are key benefits that version 9.0 adds to WebConnect’s feature set:
• Full HTML5 support for copy/paste operations — This addition to the WebConnect HTML5 client further “Web-ifies” user interactions with mainframe applications and data, allowing the same convenient copy/paste functionality with which users are familiar in their PC-based applications.
• IND$FILE transfer — WebConnect 9.0 incorporates the industry-standard IND$FILE method of transferring files between the emulator and an IBM® mainframe.
• IBM 3287 printer emulation — An IBM mainframe natively prints to an IBM 3287 printer, so WebConnect 9.0 emulates this printer’s protocol to facilitate printing from mainframe applications.
• Refreshed OpenSSL 1.0.2 cryptography — WebConnect 9.0 supports OpenSSL 1.0.2, the latest long-term support version, for maximum security in data transmissions across networks.
WebConnect 9.0 also retains these, and other, significant capabilities from previous versions:
• Server-based architecture — Some competing products, such as traditional desktop-based terminal emulators, must be installed on a desktop-by-desktop basis. With WebConnect’s server-based architecture, any authorized user has complete, Web-enabled remote access to the host system. There’s absolutely no need to install anything on a company’s many PC desktops, many of which not even be physically accessible by IT staffers in this era when more employees work remotely.
• Concurrent user licensing — WebConnect licensing covers all of a customer’s users, so the customer has to purchase only as many user licenses as it will have simultaneous users.
• Security — In addition to the aforementioned OpenSSL 1.0.2 support added with version 9.0, the WebConnect architecture has four thorough levels of security: application; session; transport; and host. WebConnect allows integration with third-party authentication products, using an LDAP server for centralized user ID/password management. Session access control allows configuration of user and group profiles to limit the number of open sessions, access to specific applications, and hours during which access is allowed.
• Single sign-on (SSO) — WebConnect’s SSO feature directly integrates within the application and requires the user to authenticate just once, after which the user is automatically signed onto all host applications while the existing host security infrastructure is maintained. Sensitive data is stored with the “glass house” while users access critical host applications.
• Easy administration — A customer’s IT department can manage WebConnect using simple, Web-based, centralized management configuration/session files and automatic distribution of new client versions. In fact, WebConnect allows management of not only concurrent user licensing for a single server but also all licenses across multiple servers.
• Simplicity — Using WebConnect requires no specialized terminal emulation software or changes at the host.
The release of WebConnect 9.0 closely follows that of OpenConnect’s mainframe connectivity software product, ConnectiQ, in November, 2016 (see openconnect.com/news/2016-11-17/). It further solidifies the company’s commitment to mainframe customers, and provides additional cause why entities seeking to implement or improve mainframe modernization programs should seriously consider OpenConnect’s experience and expertise in this field.
“Enterprises continue to depend tremendously on their mainframes, and WebConnect has helped them bridge the gap between mainframe-based data and their workforce,” said Mark Dailey, OpenConnect’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the release of version 9.0, WebConnect is an even more significant part of a wise and cost-effective mainframe modernization strategy.”
“OpenConnect has many large customers for whom WebConnect is an indispensable tool every workday, so we knew it was critical to get this update right,” said Kevin Culliton, OpenConnect’s Vice President of Product Management. “It’s always tough for a development team to create a major new version with all its added functionality and, yet, keep all the things that made previous versions so useful. Our team met that challenge, and I think both current and future WebConnect customers will be better for it.”
Availability and pricing
WebConnect 9.0 is available immediately. Pricing varies, depending on specific customer configuration needs. For additional and more specific information, interested companies may contact OpenConnect at 800.551.5881 or sales(at)openconnect.com. To read about WebConnect on the OpenConnect website, one can visit openconnect.com/webconnect or openconnect.com/resources.
About OpenConnect
OpenConnect is the leader in process intelligence and desktop analytics solutions that objectively identify and illuminate workforce activity, resulting in associated productivity gains. With OpenConnect’s process automation software, the costliest processes performed by a workforce can be automated. Combining unparalleled experience and solution capabilities, OpenConnect enables its clients to more quickly address and adapt to today’s operational and competitive challenges so they can accomplish more with fewer resources. Learn more about OpenConnect and its products at openconnect.com.
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Bryce Wray, OpenConnect Systems Incorporated, https://www.openconnect.com, +1 (972) 888-0673, [email protected]
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