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IBM Lotus Notes Users are Enticed by Microsoft

January 23, 2006

Last week Microsoft launched new updated tools for migrating from IBM Lotus Notes/Domino collaboration applications to Microsoft Exchange.

The move is a response to "the strong demand we're seeing from customers using Lotus Notes/Domino who are planning a transition" to Exchange, Kurt DelBene, corporate VP of Microsoft's Office Server Group, said in a statement. That may be more than marketing spin. Exchange has been gaining market share at the expense of Lotus Notes/Domino for the past several years, according to the Radicati Group market-research firm. President and CEO Sara Radicati estimates that Exchange holds 29% of the business messaging market to Notes/Domino's 22%.

More clients are inquiring about alternatives to Notes/Domino than looking to invest in IBM's system. Notes/Domino is expensive compared with Microsoft Exchange and other alternatives and is costly to manage. Microsoft says that "hundreds of Lotus Notes/Domino customers have begun making the move to Microsoft's collaboration platform" in the past six months, including Adaptec, BC Biomedical Laboratories, CompUSA, Endsleigh, Sanborns, SGS, Wolters Kluwer, and Wonderware.

The new tools include Application Analyzer 2006 for Lotus Domino, Data Migrator 2006 for Lotus Domino, and Windows SharePoint Services Application Templates. The company also offers software to migrate calendar information: Exchange Connector for Lotus Notes/Domino, Exchange Calendar Connector for Lotus Notes/ Domino, and Migration Wizard for Lotus Notes/Domino.

Source: Information Week