New Microsoft offering targets Notes users
commweb.com | at | by Mike
In a bid to grab more of the E-mail and messaging market it already dominates, Microsoft today is releasing software designed to help users of IBM's Lotus Notes and Domino products more easily connect those applications to its nascent .Net Web-based computing architecture. Analysts say the software could pose a threat to IBM to the extent that it makes it easier for companies already looking to move to a single-vendor software environment switch from Notes/Domino to Microsoft Exchange.
Microsoft controls about 50% of the business E-mail market, while Notes holds 25%, according to Ferris Research. With business software sales slumping overall, it's hardly surprising that vendors are fighting for every seat license. A big part of the problem for many companies is a sullen European market. Over the weekend, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a London newspaper that he didn't expect European sales to pick up anytime soon.