With IBM WebSphere Portal Version 6.1, IBM is moving toward enhanced self-service, a richer user interface, more Web 2.0 capabilities, expanded support for open standards and improved administration tools. Open-standards-based portal solution means you can work with a wide range of technologies that allows you to build on your existing IT environment, maintain required security levels and support a service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach. It can be considered as IBM merged the advantages of SOA with Web 2.0 capabilities, for letting companies accessing new levels of business agility and innovation.

Besides that, IBM WebSphere Portal Version 6.1 includes new preconfigured pages, Internet and intranet portal site templates, and out-of-the-box portlet applications that help make deployment fast and easy. These applications are designed to address key business challenges and support day-to-day functionality such as e-mail, calendaring, instant messaging, integrated presence awareness, bookmarking, reports and team spaces.