Abstract: Systems and methods for managing collaboration with one or more persons are disclosed. Presence information from the one or more persons are published to a server. One or more presence sources for each person are formed based on the present state of one or more communication channels. The presence information represents a present state of the one or more communication channels associated with each person. Selected ones of the one or more presence sources are integrated by an integrator to form a presence provider for at least one person. Presence provider data associated with the selected ones of the one or more presence sources is received at a user interface from the server.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of providing access to information stored in diverse formats comprises receiving from an application a semantic request having a request name that semantically identifies a type of information sought by the request, converting the received semantic request to a generic request having corresponding request parameters, transmitting the converted request to a data access system, receiving data from the data access system corresponding to the converted request, and providing the data to the application.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for automatically assigning permissions in a portal system. One or more trusted attribute values associated with a first user of a portal are detected. The detected trusted attribute values associated with the first user are then compared with one or more trusted attribute values associated with a second user of the portal in accordance with a trusted attributes configuration to determine a trust based relationship status. One or more permissions associated with the first user are then assigned, based on the determined trust based relationship status. The portal can be an external facing portal that permits one or more users of an organization to collaborate with one or more users from outside of the organization. Access to information available in the portal and the ability to see other portal users is based on one or more of the permissions assigned to a user.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing collaboration with one or more persons are disclosed. Presence information from the one or more persons are published to a server. One or more presence sources for each person are formed based on the present state of one or more communication channels. The presence information represents a present state of the one or more communication channels associated with each person. Selected ones of the one or more presence sources are integrated by an integrator to form a presence provider for at least one person. Presence provider data associated with the selected ones of the one or more presence sources is received at a user interface from the server.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of providing access to information stored in diverse formats comprises receiving from an application a semantic request having a request name that semantically identifies a type of information sought by the request, converting the received semantic request to a generic request having corresponding request parameters, transmitting the converted request to a data access system, receiving data from the data access system corresponding to the converted request, and providing the data to the application.