The new IBM Google Gadget Portlet -- available in April -- will allow companies to add gadgets like maps, to-do lists, product delivery tracking, driving directions and language translators to WebSphere Portal 6.0 and Portal Express systems for use on corporate desktops, according to IBM.

"We're trying to bust the barrier of things you do on the consumer side and things you do on the enterprise side," said Larry Bowden, IBM's vice president for portals and Web interaction services.

For example, a gadget that provides driving directions to sales personnel visiting client site can easily be added to their systems, Bowden said. At many companies, he added, new employees are demanding tools like wikis, blogs and instant messaging that can be added using gadgets.

Pulling the gadgets into the portal provides employees with access to these new collaborative tools while adding enterprise-scale features like security, Bowden said.

In related news, IBM also announced its new Search Sitemap Utility portlet designed to make it possible to optimize publication of portal content for improved search by external search engines like Yahoo and Google.