It’s estimated there are up to 120 million Lotus Notes users around the world, yet it’s been well documented that many of them are frustrated by what’s considered a bit of a clunky interface, to say the least.
But while companies have adopted IBM’s groupware application in their droves, much of the frustration is simply down to changing perceptions, and the fact Lotus Notes was never designed to do what people tend to want it to do today: enable them to collaborate not just with other Notes users but with anyone, anywhere, and at any time.
Things like presence (knowing how and when someone else is available to communicate with you) is increasingly valuable too. But sites like Lotus Notes Sucks and I Hate Lotus Notes tell of the misery of many users who find the front end particularly frustrating.
Some companies of course have a change in their groupware strategy and want to move away from Notes. Some think they can save money by using something else, building their own version or just asking people to use email and other web services.
Hoping to tap into this pent-up demand is British software firm Cimtrek, which promises to help companies move from a Lotus Notes infrastructure to the cloud.
"We are seeing an increased demand for our products and services around the world," said Jon Pyke, CEO and founder of Cimtrek, and formerly CTO at content management firm Staffware. Cimtrek has just announced it’s extending a deal with Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS) to round out its portfolio further.
"The one component we have been missing is mail migration – this extended partnership plugs that gap and will enable our customers to migrate all of their Notes estate to a new cloud or on premise environment encompassing Java and Microsoft technologies," said Pyke.
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The partnership between Cloud Technology Solutions and Cimtrek encompasses CTS’s Email migration from Notes to Google and Exchange tools, and Cimtrek’s new application migration from Notes to Microsoft SharePoint. This reciprocal agreement will deliver an easy and cost effective way of migrating, testing and supporting legacy business processes on a massive, secure, cloud infrastructure, according to the firms.
Both companies will offer each other’s technology to their respective resellers and partner channels as well as to end user organisations.
Are you a Notes user? How do you find it? Comment below or even better Tweet me: www.twitter.com/jasonstamper
