Enportal/5.4/overview

enPortal is a secure, vendor-neutral network management integration platform. With pre-built Product Integration Modules (PIMs) for common third-party applications, enPortal is a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution that quickly integrates these network management tools in a unified display. enPortal also provides advanced capabilities including:

• Integration of existing web-based tools and applications
• Advanced Security including role/domain-based access via a secure proxy
• Single Sign-On (SSO) and Sign-Off
• Integration with external user authentication systems
• Branding and Customization
• Dashboard Views
• Multi-tenancy
• Scalability

Basic Concepts

At enPortal’s core is Edge’s innovative, patented web Content Retrieval System (CRS). The enPortal CRS provides the capability to add, delete, or modify any HTML-based information passed between the client and back-end applications. This provides granular control over proxied content access. The CRS also simplifies security and compliance management by requiring only a single TCP port through firewalls - regardless of how many applications are accessed.

Using the enPortal GUI, administrators can add or modify users and roles and manage the content that is available to the users. Other features of enPortal allow administrators to manage applications and integrations, as well as backup and restore content. Lastly, administrators can also use enPortal to access AppBoard. For more information on AppBoard, see edgedocs home.

• Managing Users and Roles:
  • Establish who can access the system and what level of authority a user's account has.
• Managing Content:
  • Determine what different users can see within the system.
  • Create custom channels in addition to the default channels included within enPortal.
• Managing Applications and Integrations:
  • Integrate and administer third-party applications.

Users and Roles

Within enPortal, different roles can be defined and given different levels of authority. Each role can have multiple users and a single user can be assigned multiple roles.

Content Management

Users with administrative access can determine what channels within enPortal are visible to different roles. Furthermore, in addition to the channels that are included with the enPortal installation, administrators can add custom channels, the content of which can come from either AppBoard or a URL.

Applications and Integrations

To get the most from an integration platform, customers need the ability to integrate new content elements quickly and securely. Integrating and managing third-party applications is one of the key features that enPortal offers.

As managed environments have become increasingly complex, the management and support systems used to monitor them have proliferated. enPortal solves the inter-operability problems between these systems, providing substantial operational benefits by:

• Reducing complexity by eliminating the need for multiple consoles and providing SSO access to a variety of applications
• Enhancing security by controlling who accesses the content and by restricting what content is displayed
• Maximizing end-user efficiency by consolidating pertinent information into a unified web interface to provide the clarity needed to identify and resolve issues more quickly
• Saving time and money and reducing risk with a rapid deployment capability that eliminates the “heavy lifting” and maintenance inherent to an in-house integration

Edge’s vast library of pre-built Product Integration Modules (PIMs) transforms traditionally risk-filled development efforts into simple configuration. The enPortal PIM approach mitigates risk, accelerates deployment, provides quicker time to value and lowers ongoing “care and feeding” expenses.

PIMs provide plug-and-play Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based integration of products from BMC, CA, Cisco, EMC, Fluke Networks, HP, InfoVista, IBM Tivoli, Oracle, SevOne, VMware, and many more. PIMs are essentially XML definitions that define how enPortal will integrate the third party products and applications into content Channels and Folders. To integrate a new application with enPortal using a PIM, an administrator specifies the IP address, web server port, and configuration information for a live application. enPortal then automatically creates content Channels for the third party application for immediate incorporation into an enPortal page.
enPortal also provides integration of applications that are not web-based and which cannot typically be integrated into other portals. Integration with non-web application GUIs is via an integration module to remote access tools that enable non-web or thick-client applications to be accessed from any Java-enabled web browser.