A new product that allows employees, for the first time, to securely access and update Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 information using popular Internet consumer tools has been launched by WorkLight™ Inc. To deliver secure, enterprise-class collaboration tools with an easy-to-use interface of familiar tools like iGoogle, Windows Live, Facebook and others, the new offering, titled “WorkLight for SharePoint,” combines the consumer Web experience and Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Made at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston as part of a new strategic relationship between WorkLight and Microsoft, this announcement marks yet another milestone in the introduction of consumer Web 2.0 technologies into the corporate world.

By combining the collaborative capabilities of Office SharePoint Server 2007 with popular consumer social networks such as Facebook, personalized homepage gadgets, desktop widgets, RSS, mobile devices and more, WorkLight for SharePoint addresses both enterprise and employee needs. Using popular consumer Web-based gadgets – the same type of gadgets they use in their personal lives, companies can now take advantage of SharePoint Server 2007’s collaboration, enterprise content management, enterprise search, portal, business intelligence and business process capabilities.

senior product manager for Microsoft’s SharePoint Server Partner Group, Deb Bannon, declared: “By bridging SharePoint’s social computing and enterprise search capabilities with popular consumer Web 2.0 services, employees and enterprises benefit from the best of both worlds.” He added: “WorkLight’s latest offering enhances SharePoint’s highly popular collaboration platform by extending its reach to familiar consumer tools such as Windows Live and others. We are excited to work together with WorkLight in allowing employees and partners to do business with Web 2.0 securely.”

VP marketing & product strategy, WorkLight, David Lavenda, commented: “With 96 percent of enterprises considering or having already deployed at least some part of Microsoft Office System server software according to Forrester Research, it’s only natural that we merge WorkLight’s unique capabilities with Microsoft’s SharePoint.” He added: “Doing so allows companies to harness its industry-leading collaboration features, while giving employees familiar, secure interfaces through which they can do business.”