IBM Corp began replacing core parts of its disappointing OfficeVision software suite with Lotus Notes as early as 1992, but now it owns the company it’s finally prepared to go the whole hog. Lotus Development Corp and IBM announced yesterday a set of migration offerings to help its six to seven million OfficeVision terminal users make the move from basic e-mail and communications over to the more powerful workflow and collaboration capabilities of Notes 4.x. The Lotus Notes Migration Toolkit helps customers, business partners, and IBM itself, to build migration tools that will move users from OfficeVision, and from other proprietary office software suites such as DEC’s All-in-One, Fischer Em2/TAO, Verimation’s Memo and H&W Computer Systems SySM. Migration tools have two components: a Notes migration engine and a platform-specific extraction tool that needs to be developed specifically for each mail system. Directories, messages, folders, distribution lists and calender information can all be moved over automatically. IBM is understandably ahead of the pack with its own efforts, already offering tools for cc:Mail integration and shortly to offer OfficeVision migration tools for VM and OS/400 users. IBM is also working on the Memo version, but is leaving MVS experts TBS Software Inc of Richmond Hill, Ontario, to produce MVS OfficeVision migration tools. Various third parties are concentrating on the other office products. The tools are backed up by integration services. I BM also made available OfficeVision support for Lotus Notes Clients, allowing those customers who don’t want to go through the whole migration process to at least get a feel for Notes through its interface. The Toolkit is currently in limited availability, becoming generally available in the first quarter of next year: Client support for OfficeVision will be out, shortly after the release of Notes Version 4.5, now in beta and expected some time in the fourth quarter of this year. No prices.
