I’m trying to get a handle on the mix of products that Microsoft recommends to replace Notes applications during a Notes to Exchange Migration. There are so many products related to Windows SharePoint Services, I’m having a difficult time figuring out which ones would apply in the case of a migration.
Currently I’m looking into Windows SharePoint Services, Office SharePoint Server, Exchange Server, Outlook, MS SQL Server, MS IIS, Windows Forms Server, InfoPath, BizTalk. Are all of these potentially products we’d need if we want to migrate our applications? Have I left anything out?
I’m sure I’ll have an even more difficult time trying to determine the licensing around all of those products. Anyone have any recent experience with this that can shed some light on it for me? Thanks, Keil.
Subject: RE: *Kind of makes you wonder why you’d bother, doesn’t it?
Man, where has this document been? We’ve been in touch with Ed and with the IBM guys in our area, and have never been passed something like this. This was super helpful and may be an easy document for our management to understand. Thanks a lot. Any other suggestions for considerations of a Notes to Exchange Migration would be welcomed.
Subject: I agree - Where has this document been???
I agree, why isn’t this document (http://www.ebiztech.com/documents/Microsoft_vs_Domino_v1.4.pdf) a bit easier to locate? It’s what I’ve been searching for. IBM/Lotus should at least link to it from their Competitive Info webpage (IBM Products). IBM authored the darn thing for cripes sake! Also, when the IBM/Lotus boys come for a visit to a site that’s been targeted for a migration to Exchange, they should have this document in their hip pocket. Often, a presentation on reasons for staying with Lotus Notes (new features in the next release, the product roadmap, etc.) falls on deaf ears. However, giving them tangible reasons ($$$) for NOT migrating to Exchange might serve them better in some cases.
Subject: RE: *Kind of makes you wonder why you’d bother, doesn’t it?
Hi Keil,
Similar issue—
I know that there is another document like that about a migration from IBM (Notes) to a Microsoft Entreprise licence and aallllllllllllllllllllll the products (Licences $$$$) your need. It’s very instructive!!!
I don’t have a hard copy, it was a presentation that I had a few weeks ago because one of our clients had a similar issue.
Also, you need to consider Notes 8 with the ODF possibilities maybe you would need less MS Office licences.
Subject: RE: And the customer is ok with this? Migrating to a platform when they don’t even know what to move to, or if they even can?
That’s what the team of MS consultants is here for ;). Seriously, though, I work for an agency within a governmental organization. Our agency isn’t pushing this, it’s coming from a centralized IT agency within the governmental organization. They’ve engaged a team of MS certified consultants to come in and do the typical “Microsoft Assessment” to determine if the entire governmental organization can be “standardized” on Outlook/Exchange as a single messaging platform for all of the agencies. The assessment has just started, but I bet I can predict the results. Our agency didn’t have a good understanding of what was going on until the assessment team scheduled a meeting to run the Red Bull analyzer tool on our servers. So, I’ve been tasked with trying to determine the impact to our agency if (when) the assessment team delivers the results of the assessment saying that migration is totally feasible.
Subject: RE: And the customer is ok with this? Migrating to a platform when they don’t even know what to move to, or if they even can?
Ken,
Perhaps you should check out a tool that might be of assistance in determining the current Domino infrastructure first. I would suggest checking out the CMT Inspector from Binary Tree.
You can’t move anything until you know what you’ve got, what is being used and what isn’t.
Subject: RE: I’d suggest reading these about the Red Bull tool before putting any stock in it’s results.
Oh yeah. They’re following the play book exactly. I’m not against doing an assessment here to determine the appropriate course of action for the organization, but when the team running the assessment stands to gain millions depending on the result of that assessment, that calls into question how objective the results can actually be. I’m trying my best to present a fair look at the costs and effort involved in a migration, but it’s been tough to put together the total impact of a change like this, especially because no concrete proposal exists yet. But if I wait until there’s a concrete proposal, I’m afraid it will already be too late to ask any questions.Thanks for all the help everyone. Keep any recommendations coming. Keil.
Subject: RE: I’d suggest reading these about the Red Bull tool before putting any stock in it’s results.
Oh yeah. One of the things I’m hearing is that managers were posed the question: “Would you rather go with IBM as an enterprise package of email, collaboration, productivity, and development applications or would you rather go with Microsoft for all of these tools?”
Of course, managers freak out if they think they have to choose between using Outlook and Office vs. Notes and it’s new productivity apps. When did this kind of a question become an all of one vs. all of the other proposition? I just don’t understand how people are being put in a discussion where they’re made to believe it doesn’t make sense to have Office unless you also have Outlook/Exchange.
Subject: Make sure to mention the integrated instant messaging Notes users get for free, plus the upcoming Quickr Personal Edition for free which was announced at Lotusphere.
Subject: “If you’re a customer and you don’t have to change, why would you?”
Two of my favourite analyst quotes from Lotusphere…
Laura DiDio , an analyst at Yankee Group in Boston, said Lotus’s continued success was no surprise. “It’s [Notes/Domino] a good product,” DiDio said. "They are keeping up with the advances in technology; they have the IBM service and support behind them. They have the IBM sales force behind them. They have the IBM marketing behind them. . . . If you’re a customer and you don’t have to change, why would you?“
There’s a lot of energy in the Lotus community, both from IBM employees and Lotus customers, around these new versions and new products, and the renewed focus on the Notes brand. Connections and Quickr seem to be aimed directly at reinvigorating Lotus’ struggle for the collaboration marketplace with Microsoft - to good effect, according to Burton Group analyst Peter O’Kelly, who told the Reuters news service, "I think IBM is playing offense here.“
Subject: RE: I’d suggest reading these about the Red Bull tool before putting any stock in it’s results.
Glad I read this. They want to bing in some consultants here to see if they can switch. Now I have something to go on.
One thing in my favor is that my average mailfile is 2 GB. I would assume it would take several Exchange servers to replace the one Domino server we have.