Microsoft Exchange is winning the groupware race, leaving Lotus Domino/Notes lagging behind in second position, analysts said this week. According to new research from International Data Corporation (IDC), Microsoft Exchange captured 5.7 million new users worldwide in the first half of this year, overtaking Lotus Domino/Notes, which only clocked 5.3 million new users. The groupware market is entering an era of increased competition and strategic positioning among its top players, the research finds. Despite the half-yearly results, Lotus Domino/Notes maintained its market dominance with total worldwide users reaching 21.9 million at the end of June 1998, well ahead of its nearest competitors: Microsoft Exchange (15 million), Novell GroupWise (12.4 million), Netscape SuiteSpot (5.2 million), and SoftArc FirstClass (4.2 million). The study also showed that enterprise groupware products continue to dominate the market, with team groupware from vendors such as ChangePoint, Instinctive, IntraActive, Netmosphere, and NexPrise just beginning to pick up steam after emerging as a new segment in late 1997 to meet the flexible collaborative needs of project teams spanning multiple organizations.
