Forrester analysts Erica Driver and Ron Rogowski have just published a new report titled "[RIAs Bring People-Centered Design To Information Workplaces|http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,43452,00.html]". It's a comprehensive look at how Ricch Internet Applications have the potential to redefine the work environment in the enterprise. Curl was among the vendors of RIA tools that Forrester interviewed for this report. Other participants included Adobe Systems, Backbase, Cynergy Systems, EffectiveUI, Esria, IBM, Laszlo Systems, Microsoft, Nexaweb Technologies, Oracle, Roundarch, and SAP. Here's the executive summary:

Until recently, the primary options for delivering on the vision of Information Workplaces were enterprise portals or Microsoft Office. While those options remain suitable for many scenarios, rich Internet applications (RIAs) are emerging as vehicles to enable the next generation of Information Workplaces that are best suited for decision-makers and task-oriented workers who engage in complex, multistep processes ? people who need seamless, individualized, and highly visual user experiences. Information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals should analyze roles to decide if RIAs are appropriate, integrate data from existing applications into RIA-based Information Workplaces, and test rigorously to make sure that RIA-based Information Workplaces attain optimal results that will improve both employee and end customer experiences.

Update: Richard MacManus at Read/Write Web provides a brief overview of the report and concludes:

...the amount of RIA activity happening on the Web today suggests that the enterprise will indeed be mined. Just as consumer web apps have made their way into the Enterprise over the past few years, so will RIA infiltrate the office.