WebEx Connect Platform

Brief Overview

WebEx Communications Inc.

3979 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, CA 95054, U.S.A.

Corp.: +1.408.435.7000 Sales: 1.877.509.3239

www.webex.com
Introduction
The WebEx Connect platform enables collaborative applications
to be composited with business software in ways not previously
possible. Due to a rich-presence environment, unique event
model and widget architecture sitting atop a very large platform,
WebEx Connect offers businesses a powerful vehicle to improve
productivity. WebEx Connect is the only SaaS integration platform
that has been built from the ground up for collaborative software
applications.

The WebEx Connect collaboration services and client are the latest
offering from WebEx, building upon and complementing traditional
web-meeting services for real-time collaboration and communica-
tion. Details of the traditional web-meeting service architecture
and developer tools are described elsewhere. The main focus of
this paper is to provide a brief functional and architectural overview
of the WebEx Connect platform, its components, and the ways in
which customers and partners can benefit by moving their busi-
ness collaboration onto Connect.

Collaborative Network Applications

The WebEx Connect client, built on the concept of Spaces, brings
people, process and data together in an easy to use context.
Interacting with the Connect grid, the client supports a wide array
of applications from WebEx and its partners. Beneath it all is the
MediaTone network that insures reliable delivery of these applica-
tions to anyone, anytime anywhere on the globe. Once knowledge
workers take advantage, companies will be able to reduce cycle
times, increase sales and find efficiencies throughout their business
processes.

Adroit developers and product visionaries have an open field to in-

novate in totally unique ways on the Connect platform and to feed
off of others sharing their ideas on the developer community. It all
starts with the capabilities that are that are available to you from
the Connect Platform Services, widget specification, organizational
and event models and the concept of Spaces where users get
business done.

Notice
This is an early preview of the Connect platform and all contents,
specifications, and details are subject to change.


 Architecture Overview
The WebEx Connect architecture consists of several components
that provide the entire platform and user experience. These work in
conjunction to enable partner integrations, and allow organizations
and end-users to customize their work environment. The following
illustration shows the major components of the WebEx Connect
Ecosystem. Seen in the diagram is the WebEx Connect Platform
Service layer (back-end), the WebEx Connect Client, and the
WebEx Connect Marketplace, and associated facilities for partners
to manage their offers on the Marketplace. It also illustrates a part-
ner application serving application functionality to a Connect client
through Widget integration. The remainder of this paper provides
an overview of each of these components, their roles and features,
and their interactions with customers and partners.

Figure i. The WebEx Connect Ecosystem Components

Partner manages
and provisions
Partner offers on the
Application Marketplace
serves content
and functionality
into Widgets

Widget is part of a
Connect Space

Fee-based Content
Provisioning
Find, Try, Buy

SOAP/REST Fee-based Content

Protocol Provisioning
IM
and Presence
WEBEX CONNECT PLATFORM SERVICES

AIM NETWORK GROUPS

USERS
CORP
LIBRARY
POLICY DOC MGMT. OTHER
SERVICES


 WebEx Connect Platform Services
WebEx Connect back-end services are provided via a SOAP (Simple
Object Access Protocol)/WSDL(Web Service Definition Language) and
REST (Representational State Transfer) protocol that enable the Con-
nect Client and installed Widgets to interact with the WebEx Connect
platform. Details of this service are provided other papers and reference
documentation.
End users will be able to access
WebEx Connect Client
WebEx Connect via a rich client,
a web client and in the future, a The WebEx Connect Client consists of three incarnations: a “thick, rich”
mobile client. client, initially provided in version 1.0, a web client, and in the future, a
mobile client. All clients will have similar capabilities from and end-user
point of view, and partner widgets developed against any client will be
portable and operable in the other client delivery platforms.

Spaces and Widgets

The physical construct of Spaces provide the central means of col-
laboration, for projects, teams, and in particular, effective, secure
cross-company collaboration. By incorporating the WebEx Connect
Policy Model, Spaces allow organizations to tightly control the types and
means of collaboration and communication modalities that occur across
company boundaries.

Figure ii, A Typical Space


 The WebEx Connect platform incorporates a Widget Framework
that is central to the value of utilizing Spaces for collaboration for
particular project goals. Widgets are the key mechanism for 3rd
parties to integrate their various offerings into the WebEx Connect
Platform, and provide value to the WebEx Connect community.

AOL AIM Instant Messaging

Secure instant
communication The WebEx Connect Client, and overall Connect platform, are
is key to team predicated on a rich presence platform and instant-messaging
collaboration. model provided by AIM. WebEx Connect users become part of
the AIM “cloud”, allowing them to interact with 40+ million users
world-wide, both on the WebEx Connect platform and a variety
of AOL platforms. WebEx integration with AIM stems from our
history of integrating the AIM Pro client and business IM processes
to insure end-to-end secure communications, including advanced
auditing and compliance management features. WebEx Connect
adds to this legacy with a strong organizational and policy model
to further insure that cross-company communications and content
are securely shared and controlled within collaboration Spaces.

Persistent Chat
At the core of each Space is instant team communication. The tool
used to facilitate this team communication is called a persistent
discussion topic. Persistent chat rooms enable effective dialogue in
the context of a project or team environment. They allow a team to
build a comprehensive history of all team/project related discus-
sions that can be searched through and filtered. Discussion topics
are the ideal communication tool for secure cross-company com-
munication. Persistent discussion topics can easily be escalated
to other forms of communication and collaboration (such as audio
conferences or WebEx Meetings).


 WebEx Connect Marketplace
The WebEx Connect Marketplace is a central location and eco-
system for partners and WebEx to provide value-added solutions,
offerings, and services to the WebEx Connect Community. It is
not just a “store” where folks can “shop” for solutions, but rather a
persistent destination of continued interaction, information ex-
change, and sharing. It is also a personalized experience using the
WebEx Connect Identity to create a unique view onto offerings that
make sense for the user, based on their profile, things they have,
and things they might want.

For customers, it is the primary means to discover, try, and buy

solutions that will enhance and leverage their usage of the WebEx
Connect platform. For Partners, it is the primary means of connect-
ing with the vast WebEx user base to offer, manage, and deliver
solutions. The marketplace also provides entry into the WebEx
Connect developer community via the Connect partner profile as a
developer/partner.

Partner Services
For Partners, the primary interface to the WebEx Connect Mar-
ketplace is the Partner Services administration user interface – an
authenticated access based on your WebEx Connect profile as
a WebEx Connect Partner. From this administration interface,
partners can:

• Submit offerings for approval to the Marketplace

• Manage their existing offerings, including updates and removals

• Provision customers who have purchased the Partner offering for

Figure iv. WebEx

Connect Partner
Services


 Organization Model
A foundation of the WebEx Connect platform is the
Organizational Model, encompassing Organizations, Groups,
Users, and Roles. This model, supported by WebEx Connect
Platform Services, allows WebEx Connect to provide a strong
The organizational object model that supports organizational management and
model addresses security as well as cross-organizational collaboration security.
policy for orgaiza-
tions, groups, users, Organizations
and roles.
The Organizational Model provides a way to accomplish several
things that enterprise customers need for collaboration in the
Connect network.
• Provides a “home” in the WebEx Connect network for the
enterprise: the Organization

• Provides a Group concept to help administrators map their

internal organizational structure to their Organization in WebEx
Connect

• Allows for comprehensive Policy and Role management by the

Organization Admin

Figure v. Org Model


 Groups
Groups are sets of People within the Organization, and also are
sets of people working on projects or business processes that
may cross company boundaries. Roles are assigned to people
or members of Groups, with privileges that allow the Org admin
to enforce corporate policies with respect to internal and external
communications. A group structure can (but not necessarily)
reflect the reporting and organizational structure of an enterprise.
Other group structures, manifested as WebEx Connect “Spaces”,
are cross-functional (or “matrixed”) entities that permit businesses
to conduct projects, and provide access controls to content as-
sociated with the project.

Groups take on two distinct types:

• Organizational Groups: “Groups”…these structures are able,

and intended, to help a company map their corporate Org struc-
Individuals or unaffiliates ture (reporting structure) into the Connect model. These Groups
can adopt the free WebEx might be imported into Connect from LDAP or Active Directory
Connect client. via a .CSV import mechanism, or can be established manually.

• Cross Functional Groups: “Spaces”…these structures are more

ad-hoc, sometimes ephemeral, and are created to manage
cross functional teams (both inside and outside the Org) for a
project. A Space is really a container for content and Widgets
with an special Group living behind as a “shadow” entity to man-
age the people and policies. Buddy Groups are similar, and also
have a “shadow” Group behind them.

Unaffialiates
Until now, the discussion has focused on the needs and benefits
of the WebEx Connect platform for enterprise organizations, with a
complex group/user and policy model. However, a large number
of members of the overall WebEx Connect ecosystem are strictly
individuals using the WebEx Connect client. We refer to these
individuals as “unaffiliates”, or members of the “general public”,
meaning, they belong to no organizational and group structure,
and are not subject to policies imposed from “above”.

Unaffiliates are people that have adopted the free WebEx Connect
client. They generally enjoy the numerous benefits of this client,
including a Personal Profile, Personal Office, the ability to col-
laborate with other individuals via Spaces, and can customize their
environment using Widgets from the WebEx Connect Marketplace
and other sources (for example, perhaps they construct their own
Widgets). Unaffiliates can be, for example, independent contrac-
tors that participate in a project Space of a company they are
working for.


 Policy Model
The WebEx Connect Policy model is designed to be flexible and
comprehensive so that organizations can tightly control network
and content access, both within and across corporate boundaries.
However, it is also designed to be easy to use for basic use cases,
with a default out-of-the-box structure that will fit most needs. It
is up to the Org Admin as to what level of detail and granularity to
extend and refine the Roles and Privileges based on the specific
needs of the organization.

The Policy model is centered around two main concepts:

• Roles: Roles are assigned to Groups as well as individuals. If a

user does not have a specific Role(s) assigned, they default to the
member Role of their Group affiliation. Users can belong to more
than one Group, and can have more than one Role assigned. In
Priveleges are assigned at the
this case, their Privilege set in any given access situation is the
corporate level, and at the space
union (logical “or”) of all their granted Privileges. That is, if any
level, both for a space overall and
for specific content within a space. Role grants a certain Privilege, then that user gets it.

• Privileges: Privileges are specific grants of a permission to allow

the Privilege holder to perform a certain action. Privileges are
attached to Roles.

Privilege Categories
There are two main categories of Privileges, with some sub-cat-
egories:

• Corporate Policies: These Privileges are specific to controlling

network communication and collaboration capabilities, such as,
what can I do inside my firewall vs. outside. An additional subset
of Corporate Policies that govern administrative rights.

• Access Controls: These Privileges govern access to content, in-

cluding things like documents in Spaces, as well as the Spaces
themselves.


Roles
Roles grant specific privileges to individuals assigned to a given
Role(s). Individuals can have more than one Role (such as a Group
Admin can also be a Space Owner, or a Group Member of a
completely different Group).

Roles are assigned to:

• Groups: every member of the Group gets that Role

• Individuals: only that individual is given that Role. This type of

assignment is optional.

Corporate Policies
Corporate Policies are distinct in that the evaluation of these can
only consider Privileges derived from Roles for which the given
Person is assigned based on their Organizational assignments
– not because they happen to be a member of a Space of another
company. This prevents a given user from getting permission for
an action that is unauthorized by their particular organization based
on their membership in an external Space.

Access Controls
Access Controls govern access to content-bearing objects. These
object types include:

• Spaces

• Tab and Widget Access

• Profiles Content

• Tasks, etc., other things contained in Spaces

Space Access Controls are defaulted by the built-in Roles as-

signed to Spaces at creation time. The Space Owner can modify
access at the individual Space level by creating new Roles and
modifying the Privilege set. Key Point: These Privileges only
govern rules on content access…all collaboration rules come from
the Org Roles of the individuals (that is, from their Org) who are
members of the Space.

10
 Built-in Role Set and Privileges
Below is a definition of the Privilege set that is provided out-of-
the-box for Organizations provisioned by WebEx. Note that as of
March 2007, this information is subject to change.

BUILT-IN ROLE SETS AND PRIVILEGES

Privileges Org Group Group Space Space Space

Admin Owner Member Owner Member Guest

Corporate Policies
I.M. a a a
VoIP a a a
Video a a a
Share a a a
File Transfer a a a
Show Contextual Presence a a a
Store Access a a a
Can Develop a a a
Upload Widgets to Personal a a a
Library

Administrative Privileges
Has Spaces a a a a
Join Spaces a a a a
Manage Spaces a
Manage Space Membership a
Invite Space Members a a a a
Create Groups a a
Assign Users a a
Manage Roles a a a
Assign Roles a a a
Manage Library a a
Manage Storage a
Document Permission
Document Create a a a a a
Document Update a a a a a
Document Delete a a a a a
Document Delete a a a a a a
Document Read a a a a a
Document Download a a a a a a

11
 Collaboration Spaces
The concept of Spaces is a central innovation of the WebEx Con-
nect platform. They provide the basis for both asynchronous and
real-time collaboration, project management, document manage-
ment, and policies for access controls to content. It is anticipated
that as business activities progress, individuals in the Org will
create Spaces for specific projects. When the project is complete,
it can be deleted if desired. Some Spaces will be general purpose
and persistent over time.

Widgets
Widgets are small software services that install like a plug-in into a
browser or application over the Internet. Simple Widgets providing
functions such as clocks, weather and stock feeds have been
in use for some time. WebEx Connect brings the concept of
WebEx Connect widgets provide
widgets into the business application arena, including interfaces to
a very high level of interoperability
amongst applications sourcing and traditional enterprise applications such as ERP, SFA,and CRM..
consuming services over the web. WebEx Connect Widgets redefine the use and scope of what Wid-
gets can do and with a very high level of interoperability amongst
applications sourcing and consuming services over the web.

Widget Structure
Widgets in WebEx Connect are essentially “wrappers” around ap-
plication functionality that is presented in WebEx Connect Spaces.
They can be as simple as an RSS feeder, or as complex as a CRM
or ERP content and database agent. Further, multiple Widgets can
cooperate with each other inside a Space via the Widget Event
Model.

Widgets can be constructed to be general purpose, and config-

ured in a per-instance basis (for usage in a particular Space) via
parameters. For example, a CRM widget would need to know
which Account ID and Opportunity ID it should access for the
purposes of the given project. This metadata is configured once
by the Space creator, and is persistent, and automatically invoked
by the Widget for each user accessing the Space.

Widget Framework
The Widget Framework provides the environment for running Wid-
gets in WebEx Connect Spaces. The framework overall provides
the definition of the Widget, a run-time environment, and a set of
“Container APIs” that allow the Widget to interact with the WebEx
Connect client environment as well as other Widgets. The full
description of the Widget definition and APIs is beyond the scope
of this document. Refer to the reference documentation describ-
ing Widgets, the container, events, and so on.

12
 WebEx Connect
Platform Services
The WebEx Connect collaboration platform consists of both a
client presence and a remote server presence.

The client presence is the component that is visually (and possibly

aurally) apparent to the end-user. Briefly said, it is the UI compo-
nent and much of the logic processing in WebEx Connect is taking
place in the client. People presence in the platform is provided
through the client integration with AIM.

The server presence is not visually apparent and, in the most part,
is known only to the software running in the client. However, the
server presence handles important functions such as authentica-
tion, categorization, access control, extensibility, and storage. The
WebEx Connect Platform Service layer provides this presence and
these services.

All of the functionality exposed by the WebEx Connect Platform

Service layer is available through a web-services API, discussed in
more detail in the reference documentation.

Fig ix. WebEx Connect Services Architecture

13
Development Process
Every WebEx Connect client is automatically enabled for develop-
ment. The client is pre-provisioned and pre-configured with a
“developer Sandbox” automatically. The Sandbox is a special
kind of Space that has only one member (the developer) and is
configured with a set of Tabs that provide tools to assist in the
development process.

From here, a developer can create Widgets by editing the neces-

sary XHTML/XML definitions, incorporating any desired Javascript
libraries, etc. on their local file system. In the Sandbox, the func-
tion for adding content (which normally browses libraries to select
Widgets) also allows the ability to browse the file system, select a
Widget definition under development, and place it in the Sandbox
(on any Tab). The Widget can then be tested, etc.

Once a Widget is complete, it can be uploaded into the develop-

er’s Personal Library, or sent to an administrator to upload it into
a Corporate Library for distribution within their Company. For
Partner developers, the Widget definition (and other required files)
can be submitted to the WebEx Connect Marketplace for approval
and publishing to the WebEx Connect Community at large.

14
 WebEx Connect Marketplace
The WebEx Connect effort delivers benefits to end users through
a collection of applications (Widgets) which are obtained via the
Marketplace. This is accessible either from within the WebEx
Connect Client itself, or as a stand-alone site via WebEx.com. The
Marketplace is an eCommerce enabled community, destination,
and on-going conversation between Partners, Customers, Poten-
tial Customers, and Developers. As an extension of the WebEx
Connect Client, it facilitates the listing, discovery, purchase and
support of Widgets, Templates, and Applications.

Figure ix. The WebEx Connect Marketplace

Partners can market their solutions
to end users through the WebEx
Connect Marketplace.

15
 WebEx Connect
Developer Community
Accessible from the WebEx Connect client and attached to the
Marketplace is the Developer Community. Fully authenticated
through the WebEx Connect ecosystem, the community provides
access to the APIs, SDKs, and documentation needed to create
widgets, applications, and templates. From the Developer Com-
http://community.webex.com/connect munity:

• All WebEx Connect user may access the Developer Community,

leveraging the WebEx Connect platform to design composite
applications.

• Developers may test the WebEx Connect apps, widgets and

templates the create using the built-in “sandbox” environment of
the client, obtained on the community.

• Developers may participate in several forums with their peers

and share know-how, tips and advice while they are creating
new apps.

• Blog posts, event calendars and a content repository are part of

the WebEx Connect Developer Community

16
Conclusion
WebEx Connect is ideally architected for SaaS Web 2.0 ap-
plications. The WebEx Connect platform and services are well
documented within this piece and with several tools and sup-
porting documentation made available to developers. From the
presence-rich end-user client to the WebEx Connect Marketplace
and developer community, there is a robust, SOA infrastructure en-
abling a grid of users, services and application providers to thrive
within a global ecosystem. As a developer, you hold the keys to
these mashups. Your Widgets and Templates provide the compo-
nents of a new generation of collaborative composite applications.
WebEx will make sure you are successful in reaching the 450
million potential users out there. Feel free to develop away.

©2007 WebEx Communications, Inc. WebEx, WebEx MediaTone, and the WebEx logo
are registered trademarks of WebEx Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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