Tag Archives: IBM Lotus Domino

About 1694 days ago E-Commerce

Stem the Flood with E-mail Archiving

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At the average business, the day starts like this: Boot up the computer. Open e-mail. Push the “Send/Receive” button and wait for the flood of messages to pour in. And a flood it is. According to the Radicati Group, a Palo Alto, Calif., technology market researcher, the volume of global e-mail has grown to 210 billion a day and is expected to hit 297 billion by 2010. Radicati predicts that by next year, workers will spend 41 percent of their day handling e-mail. That’s a lot of messages. Once they’re opened and read, what’s a small business supposed to do with them all? In more and more cases, the answer is to keep them. E-mail has become so intrinsic to the way work is done at companies of all sizes, it’s where most business records are stored, says Nancy Flynn, executive director of the ePolicy Institute, a Columbus, Ohio, an electronic communications consultant and author of a book on e-mail policies due out in December. Federal regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley and recent rule changes that make e-mail subject to discovery in the course of a federal lawsuit are also driving companies to archive e-mail, Flynn says. “People incorrectly assume e-mail is only produced as bad evidence,” in a trial, she says. “But it could be evidence you need to save the day.” However, not all messages are created equal. Companies need to come up with policies about what to save, Flynn and other e-mail experts say. Once they’ve sorted that out, they can decide how and where to set up e-mail archives, either on site or through an e-mail archiving service. Creating an e-mail policy According to e-mail experts, a comprehensive e-mail retention policy should include: Which e-mail messages to keep How long they should be stored How they should be purged once they’ve reached their life expectancy How employees should be notified and educated about the policy What types of disciplinary action the company will take if employees break e-mail rules Breaking e-mail rules is no joke. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the ePolicy Institute and the American Management Association, 28 percent of bosses had fired employees for e-mail violations. “We’re seeing more employers put real teeth in these policies,” Flynn says. When it comes to managing e-mail, small businesses have more at stake because they don’t have the deep pockets that a large corporation has to hire a defense team and do records searches should they be sued. “It’s much more cost and time effective for a small business to do the work upfront,” she says. Whether it’s an on-site appliance or hosted service, a small business should make sure the e-mail archive solution they choose: Captures inbound and outbound, internal and external messages and attachments Indexes messages so they can be searched and retrieved with minimum time and trouble Insures the authenticity and completeness of e-mail records in such a way that it complies with regulators and courts Preserves messages in a way that’s secure and tamperproof When deciding whether to bring e-mail archiving in house or go with an outside vendor, companies need to think about how many employees they need to cover, average e-mail volumes, if their company is growing and how much work they want to take on themselves, says Sean Hegarty, messaging senior product manager at Iron Mountain, the information storage company. Once a company’s determined the scope of the needs, they can decide whether they want to take on the task themselves or farm it out to a Web-based -email archiving service, Hegarty says. The former can be capital intensive, while the latter “is more of a gradual predictable cost,” he says. “Five years ago the market was primarily on-site solutions. Now it seems that a lot of adoption is of the outsourcing model.” By all means, don’t let employees save their own messages on an ad hoc basis on their PCs or printed out and stored in file cabinets, ePolicy Institute’s Flynn says. If that happens and the company gets sued, the first thing a computer forensic team does is “look in employees’ inboxes and hard drives for those underground archives,” she says. Sidebar: E-mail Archive Vendors Here’s a list of some e-mail archiving product vendors: ArcMail — Appliance-based e-mail archiving solution. Autonomy — Web-based e-mail archiving and e-discovery, e-mail archive services that are specific to lawsuits. EMC EmailXtender Family — An array of e-mail archiving products, including specialized programs for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes/Domino. Iron Mountain Total Email Management Suite — The long-time storage business offers a Web-based e-mail archive service for Exchange and Lotus Domino servers and acts as an online backup service; includes extras such as virus scanning and phishing protection. Iron Mountain offers a separate e-mail storage service for SEC-regulated businesses. MessageLabs — Provides hosted mailbox management, e-discovery, e-mail compliance and supervision archiving along with encryption, anti-spam, anti-virus and other e-mail services. Dell Message One — Complete Web-based e-mail management service, including archiving. Quest Software Archive Manager — A Microsoft-centric e-mail archiving appliance. Symantec — Offers various e-mail archiving solutions, including Microsoft Exchange archive and recovery service for small and mid-sized businesses and Enterprise Vault automatic mailbox management.

About 1724 days ago Servers and Routers

Alternatives to Microsoft Exchange

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Many small and mid-sized businesses rely on Microsoft Exchange servers and services to manage e-mail and collaboration processes. But there are a growing number of alternative products on the market, each trying to chip away at Microsoft’s market share by delivering similar functionality for less money, making its software available on a non-Windows platform, or offering unique products and services not found in Microsoft Exchange. What Microsoft Exchange is Developed by the Redmond, Wash. software giant, Microsoft Exchange is the leading messaging and collaborative software solution, widely embraced by both small and mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises. Installed on a company’s premises, this server-based software is used for managing e-mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks — all part of the Microsoft Office suite on the client end. Exchange also supports mobile and Web-based access to company info. Additionally, Microsoft’s offerings offers data storage, shared folders, and unified messaging solutions — such as accessing your voicemail box via e-mail or listening to your e-mail over the phone. “I wouldn’t say it’s the ‘de facto’ server solution but it’s certainly the leader in both revenue and the number of organizations,” says Mark Levitt, vice president of collaboration and enterprise 2.0 strategies at the Framingham, Mass.-based IDC research firm. “Because Microsoft has established itself as a provider of many applications and products, companies see value for a single source that offers a variety of management solutions, all using the same underlying Windows platform,” Levitt says. “Plus all upgrades and patches for multiple products can be handled by one company, which is very appealing.” The trouble with trying to compete According to Gary Chen, a senior analyst for enterprise research at the Boston, Mass.-based Yankee Group, e-mail management is “pretty much a two horse race” between Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino and Notes. “Exchange is definitely the leader — they’ve come up a lot over the past few years — though [IBM] Lotus Notes has really put a lot of effort into making a resurgence, and they have some interesting things on their roadmap,” says Chen. “Exchange can be hard to manage and the alternatives are cheaper, so [competing products] may find a niche for themselves.” Along with IBM Lotus Notes, Chen says Novell GroupWise is also a popular alternative for mid-sized businesses. “There are clear advantages to going with an accepted platform like Exchange, though,” concedes Chen. “In terms of the skills, ecosystem, and add-on products that you can take advantage of, Microsoft applications dominate [small and mid-sized businesses] and mid-market, and Microsoft has been integrating heavily with Exchange and SharePoint.” For some companies, e-mail isn’t a top priority, adds Chen. “Many rely on advanced functionality, applications that might be critical to their business, like unified messaging and shared folders – something Exchange does well.” PostPath and others Levitt says there are many alternatives to Microsoft Exchange. Along with IBM Lotus Domino and Notes and Novell GroupWise, competing integrated collaborative environments (ICE a.k.a. “groupware”) include Oracle Collaboration Suite, Yahoo!’s Zimbra Collaboration Suite, and PostPath, “which looks just like an Exchange server to other Exchange servers and to Outlook clients,” says Levitt. Sina Miri, spokesman for PostPath, which Cisco agreed to acquire on Aug. 27, says their clients prefer PostPath to Microsoft Exchange Server for a few reasons. The most critical is PostPath performs better on all hardware, says Miri. “This is especially true with modest and even low-end hardware, plus it’s low maintenance due to its architecture and the use of the file system as opposed to Exchange and its Jet database,” explains Miri. Standalone e-mail server software competitors include Sun Mail Server, CommuniGate, Ipswitch, MailSite, Gordano, Mirapoint,  Scalix, and the Unix-based Sendmail. Levitt says free hosted consumer-oriented webmail services are often used by individuals for business purposes — such as Yahoo!, Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail — or free mailboxes bundled into Internet connectivity services, such as AOL, Comcast, Earthlink, Research in Motion, Verizon, and so on. Linux, too Linux has grown to be a low-cost alternative to Windows, says Levitt, and so companies like IBM, Novell, and Sun “have embraced the alternative operating system with competitors to Microsoft Exchange, which operate on the Windows platform.” The open-source movement can’t be ignored, says Levitt, especially with relatively high upfront costs for Microsoft Exchange, “not to mention ongoing upgrades, some of which you have to pay for, as well a licensing complexities when you’re dealing with multiple computers.” On the flipside, however, it might be harder for IT people to manager alternative software, which might add to your bottom line. “Many rush to open-source products because there is no initial check to write, but you don’t get anything for free,” cautions Levitt. “There are always associated costs when you’re dealing with a product not as well established or supported as Microsoft Exchange.”

About 2274 days ago Business Software

Outlook Vs. the Others: Business Email Clients

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With presence on about 450 million desktops, Microsoft Outlook is by far the most widely used email application in the world, but it’s not popular with everyone. Some small business owners feel they don’t have the skills to administer support for Outlook. IT managers at mid-size businesses may fear it will be more susceptible to viruses and worms than other programs. Still others “just don’t like Microsoft,” says Erica Driver, principal analyst with Forrester Research, of Cambridge, Mass. Price comparison Price may also be an issue for some, though Microsoft’s email offering appears to be competitive with most of its competitors. An average cost for Outlook is hard to pin down. The Standard Edition of Exchange Server 2007 (Outlook is Microsoft’s desktop application; Exchange runs on servers) retails for $699. Customers also have to buy client access licenses, which are $67 per user. Customers can also pay $25 per user to get additional features and software assurance. But those who buy five or more licenses at a time get a 25 percent discount and there are more bulk discounts beyond that. To confuse things further, most of the time Outlook is bundled in Office, Microsoft’s desktop product suite, as well. Office Basic starts at $129 per user. Driver says she’s done the math and that running Microsoft’s email programs using Microsoft back-end software amounts to $100 per user, while Novell GroupWise is $130 per user and Sun Java Enterprise System costs $140 per employee per year. IBM’s Lotus Domino Messaging Express is $99, she says. Email penetration and security While no one tracks email penetration among small businesses, the picture on the consumer side is one of complete domination by Microsoft. At retail, Microsoft has 99.98 percent of the email software market, according to the NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y. market research firm. For businesses, Microsoft’s lead isn’t quite as commanding. Driver says no one has a majority of the market, which is split on the server side between Microsoft IBM, Sun and Novell. Leilani Quiles, IT director for Tew Cardenas, a 130-person law firm in Miami, is a fan of GroupWise. When Quiles started at her job seven years ago, the firm was already using the program. “Every so often the subject comes up to explore Exchange or Outlook,” Quiles says. But the consensus is that employees like the calendaring function too much. Quiles also thinks GroupWise is more secure. That contention comes from a similar argument to Apple’s when its operating system is compared to Microsoft’s: Because GroupWise and other email programs command a smaller share of the market, they represent a less juicy target for makers of viruses. He says, she says Not surprisingly, Microsoft considers such claims bunk. Jessica Arnold, product manager for Outlook, points out that the latest version of Outlook, Outlook 2007, has stepped up calendar functions (users can even publish their calendars on Office Online to let others collaborate on scheduling) and anti-phishing features. She adds that Microsoft is well aware of virus threats and makes use of beta testing to make Outlook more bulletproof. “Obviously, there will always be people who want to create viruses targeted at different programs,” Arnold says. “I wouldn¹t say Microsoft is alone in that.” So why go with one of the competitors? Phil Karren, product manager for GroupWise, says Novell’s system is easier to use, cheaper and more secure than Exchange. “What we see is I have some customers with 700 users and there’s one IT guy managing it all,” he says. Karren says another benefit is that GroupWise “tends to be a lot more frugal with the hardware.” That means that it works better with older systems than Exchange.

About 2394 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

The Phone that May Finally Replace Your Laptop

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If your laptop and your cell phone mated, the offspring might look something like the Nokia 9300. This Symbian OS-based handset is the third in Nokia’s suitably dubbed “Communicator” series, designed for mobile executives on the go. It’s a phone, computer, and high-speed Internet device all rolled into one. But calling the Nokia 9300 a “smartphone” is like saying Bill Gates has a few shekels in his bank account. Here’s why the Nokia 9300 — which sells for $299.99 on a two-year contract with Cingular Wireless — may be right for you and your growing business. Push e-mail Unlike most handsets that log on to the Internet to “pull” e-mails down to the handset, the 9300 offers three ways to have your important messages “pushed” to the device as they arrive in your inbox:             BlackBerry Connect: The Communicator is one of the first handsets in North America to launch with this program that lets corporate customers choose to either use the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or BlackBerry Connect to access ISP e-mail accounts through the BlackBerry Internet Service.             Cingular’s Xpress Mail: This program is based on the SEVEN e-mail platform, which is compatible with a variety of corporate e-mail applications, including Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, Novell Group Wise, IMAP4 and POP3, as well as global directories and personal calendars.             Intellisync Wireless E-mail: This e-mail service “pushes” e-mails, meeting requests, calendar updates, among other information, to a variety of mobile devices. It supports a variety of platforms, including Palm, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, Symbian, IMAP clients and other platforms. With push e-mail, you won’t miss a beat, as you can read and respond to incoming messages without fear of missing an urgent request. Multi-tasking and Office features Taller but trimmer than the Palm Treo series, this 5.9-ounce handset (measuring 132mm x 51mm x 21mm) opens up along its spine to access a QWERTY thumb keyboard and widescreen LCD (65,536 colors) that’s perfect for creating or editing documents, presentations, or spreadsheets. It also includes full synchronization support with Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes via the optional Nokia PC suite software. Calendar, contacts, and tasks can also be easily synched with a desktop or laptop PC. Run into a client at the airport but forgot his name? No worries – excuse yourself for a moment to “take a call” and browse your contacts list to find his thumbnail photo attached to his name. If you need to chat while tweaking your sales report, the 9300 includes integrated Bluetooth and speakerphone support, which means you can do both at the same time. In fact, the handset automatically switches to speakerphone when it’s flipped open to the keyboard (this can be changed in the Options menu). You can even use the 9300 to host conference calls for up to six participants, and take notes during the chat. Bluetooth also allows for wireless printing of documents and photos to a nearby and compatible printer. Oh, and the fun With support for high-speed EDGE service, the Nokia 9300 is also a fast Web-surfing tool and can handle downloads, including large e-mail attachments. Text-messages (SMS), multimedia messages (MMS), and pull e-mail compliments its host of push e-mail services and support. When not in an EDGE coverage area, the 9300 is a tri-band GSM phone that works in a host of countries. The handset also plays MP3s, AACs, and RealAudio. For video, it supports RealVideo, MPEG4 compression, and H.263 formats. If the 80MB of internal storage isn’t enough, a MultiMedia Card (MMC) can expand the memory. With this lineup of features, it’s almost hard to imagine why anyone ever lugged around a laptop.

About 4373 days ago Business Software

Information In The Bank

Techniques: Microcases Data Management Problem: Expanding data storage with limited staff Solution: Outsourcing the project to a pay-as-you-go data-storage company Payoff: Tech staff can focus on profit-making projects Time and again, Greg Strakosch heard the same complaint from information-technology professionals he met as president of the technology division of United Communications Group (UCG). They needed to keep up-to-date about the computers and the software they used, but they didn’t have time to look through stacks of magazines or surf for the information on the Net. Strakosch had a dot-com brainstorm: search engines targeted specifically at the interests of the IT pros. By 1999, the 38-year-old publishing executive was CEO of TechTarget.com, a start-up that was spun off by UCG. And he had his own IT problems to solve. To reach its “target” audience, TechTarget planned to build a large family of IT Web sites. But faced with the threat of copycat competition, the company had to act fast. Creating the sites would be easy and relatively cheap. (Launching the first one, Search400.com, for users of IBM’s AS/400 servers, cost only about $50,000.) The difficult part would be deciding where to put TechTarget’s stockpile of content, advertising, sales, and user data. Once considered the backwater of IT departments, storage was in the forefront of Strakosch’s concerns before the launch of a second Web site, Searchdomino.com, for Lotus Domino users. Strakosch expected that data would accumulate, but he couldn’t predict how fast or how much. He could only estimate what his needs would be based on the response to Search400.com and his research into the size of each potential market. He observed that storage costs ate up almost 50% of most companies’ hardware budgets, and he figured that before long that figure would be 80% for his business. One of the options that TechTarget had for storing its data was buying computer hardware as needed and keeping the function in-house. But Strakosch was skeptical. Expensive hardware eats up capital, and installation takes time. Plus, he feared that because of the perpetual industrywide shortage of IT workers, TechTarget might not be able to hire staff who had the right expertise. Besides, Strakosch didn’t want his managers running storage servers; he wanted them working on projects that would build his business. So he presented a second option: outsourcing the function to StorageNetworks Inc., in Waltham, Mass. Now Patrick Laughran, TechTarget’s chief technology officer, had misgivings. None of his staff had ever outsourced storage before. Under the proposed arrangement, his people would be responsible for a vital operation that they wouldn’t control. Sure, StorageNetworks offered the ability to add storage capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis as fast as the company would need it. But the company’s data would reside on disk drives at StorageNetworks and would be overseen by the storage company’s personnel. So Laughran grilled StorageNetworks’ staff until he was convinced they could handle any problem that came up. In the end, Laughran swallowed his fears and decided to give outsourcing a try. Hiring more IT staff would take time that he didn’t have. “We had to get a product to market that could start generating revenue in weeks, not months,” Laughran says. Almost immediately, a glitch tested the relationship between TechTarget and StorageNetworks. As Strakosch tells it, the two companies had only 30 days to put together a system. But TechTarget goofed in a hardware order and as a result couldn’t hook up its equipment to the data-storage company’s network. Even though StorageNetworks wasn’t responsible for the mistake, the vendor scrambled to fix it overnight. TechTarget now has 24 Web sites, including the popular Whatis.com encyclopedia of computer lingo. About 200 employees cater to more than 1 million registered members and 2 million monthly visitors to its sites; the company now stores two terabytes of data in StorageNetworks’ digital vaults. The storage bill comes to more than $100,000 a month, but Strakosch figures that by now he would have spent an equivalent amount — some $2 million — if he had kept storage in-house at TechTarget’s new headquarters, in Needham, Mass. What matters to him is that his IT staff can work full-time on building the company by creating moneymaking services. “In hindsight,” says Strakosch, “outsourcing storage was a home-run decision.” Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.