Editor's Note: For RIAs in the Enterprise, It’s All about the Data

Building rich Internet applications (RIAs) for the enterprise means reaching beyond the browser with desktop integration and data access, and that’s where Silverlight shines.

By Mitch Irsfeld

In this era of rich web experiences, high-definition video, social networking, and cloud computing your users’ expectations are changing for the enterprise applications you deliver. They want the agile, collaborative, web-based applications without forgoing the rich, full-featured interfaces of desktop applications. And they want those applications to span devices and media.

Moreover, those applications need to access data anywhere on the network and integrate well with other desktop-, server- and cloud-based applications. That’s a daunting set of requirements for any enterprise application developer, but those are the very capabilities that Silverlight is developed to provide. In this edition of TechNet ON, we look at some key scenarios for putting Silverlight to work in the enterprise and provide specific tools and guidance for building and deploying Silverlight applications.

While it’s not a traditional IT Pro topic, Silverlight programming for business use is emblematic of the kinds of changes we at Microsoft see coming in the IT department. It may not be necessary to do the programming yourself, but it is critical to understand the potential impact for network planning and supporting the analysis of the rising tide of data washing over companies around the world. We hope this brief primer will prepare you to answer questions not only about Silverlight, but also a new generation of web browsers that will feature HTML 5, as well as the way mobile devices can support business goals in 2011.

Silverlight Apps and SharePoint

One of the ways to increase the scalability and collaboration capabilities of Silverlight applications is by integrating Silverlight applications with the leading collaboration environment, SharePoint. In his new eBook, Microsoft Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 Integration, Gaston C. Hillar, takes you step-by step through the processes of creating Silverlight rich Internet applications (RIAs) and making them available in a SharePoint site, interacting with data on the SharePoint server, interacting with workflows, working with WCF Data Services and more. And you can read the introductory chapter, Integrating Silverlight 4 with SharePoint 2010 for free.

That chapter not only helps you understand the benefits of integrating Silverlight with SharePoint, it describes how to:

• Prepare the development environment to develop applications for SharePoint 2010 using Silverlight 4
• Prepare the SharePoint 2010 server to host Silverlight applications
• Create a Silverlight Line of Business RIA
• Learn to add a Silverlight RIA to a SharePoint site
• Understand the advantage of creating rich user experiences for SharePoint solutions
• Work with shared documents to store a Silverlight application in SharePoint sites
• Work with many Silverlight applications in a single page
• Learn the differences between client and server code

Get the full eBook from Packt Publishing.

"New COM InterOp access for trusted applications is a no brainer for Microsoft Office shops looking to use local system libraries." -- InfoWorld, August 18, 2010

Speaking of free eBook chapters, don’t miss the first chapter of the Microsoft Silverlight 4 Data and Services Cookbook, also from Packt Publishing. The book offers more than 85 practical recipes for creating rich, data-driven business applications in Silverlight that draw on multiple sources of data. In the first chapter, authors Gill Cleeren and Kevin Dockx provide you the basics to get going with Silverlight, including how to get your environment ready to start developing Silverlight apps, creating your first service-enabled and data-driven Silverlight 4 app, deploying a Silverlight app on the server, and more.

Download Chapter 1, Learning the Nuts and Bolts of Silverlight 4. Also listen as Keith Combs interviews co-author Kevin Dockx on the merits of Silverlight 4 as a business tool for the enterprise.

And we were fortunate enough to get Cleeren and Dockx to pen the TechNet Magazine article Build Your Business Apps on Silverlight, describing how Silverlight has matured into a solid platform for developing and deploying line of business applications. They put Silverlight 4 to the test against typical business application requirements. And since “data is king” when it comes to creating business applications, they describe how to add a service layer on top of the database and connect to those services on the client side.

InfoWorld also put Silverlight 4 to the test, this time against its main rival in the RIA space, Adobe Flash 10.1. In the InfoWorld Review: Microsoft Silverlight 4 vs. Adobe Flash 10.1 we learn how new COM Interop access for trusted applications is a no brainer for Microsoft Office shops looking to use local system libraries. Author James R. Borck concludes that “For any enterprise project requiring heavy programming or data access, especially in-house applications that would benefit from Windows desktop integration, Silverlight is the top choice.”

If you are somewhat familiar with Silverlight, find out What’s New in Silverlight 4, which covers all of the new business centric features, features for rich media experiences, Expression Blend and Visual Studio tooling enhancements, and new out-of-browser features.

Rolling Up Your Sleeves

For more how-to instruction, watch Pete Brown’s video Build your first Silverlight web application. Then find Security Guidance for Writing and Deploying SilverLight Applications, which covers some web security basics like the same-origin policy, cross-site scripting attacks, and cross-site request forgery.

For corporate deployments, check out the Silverlight Enterprise Deployment Guide. It describes the system requirements and deployment methods, as well as the techniques to maintain and support Silverlight after deployment.

And finally, we have the tools, including the Silverlight 4 SDK, the Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta 1, Silverlight 4 community samples, and Silverlight 4 training videos. And there is a Silverlight 4 Training Course, which includes a whitepaper explaining all of the new Silverlight 4 features, several hands-on-labs that explain the features, and an eight-unit course for building business applications with Silverlight 4.

The task of building rich Internet applications becomes more complex when those applications are line-of-business, data-driven applications. But Silverlight is up to the task for applications that reach beyond the browser with authentication and data access, and still provide the great user experience of RIAs.

Mitch Irsfeld*, Editor of TechNet, is a veteran computer industry journalist and content developer who managed editorial staffs at several leading publications, including* InformationWeek, InternetWeek and CommunicationsWeek*. He is also an editor for* TechNet Magazineand managing editor of the TechNet Flash newsletter.