Carl Tyler's Blog

1 - There is no minimum for LotusLive iNotes, Engage, Connections, Meetings or Events.

Just taking the LL iNotes offering as an example, customers can get mail for only $3/user/mo. So the LotusLive iNotes offering is still less expensive even after the MS price changes, with NO minimums.

2 - @1 OK I just called to verify LotusLive Notes is 1000 seat minimum, LotusLive iNotes has no minimum. Microsoft supports the full Outlook client running against their cloud. To do the equivalent with LotusLive requires 1000 seats.

Microsoft BPOS includes IM, Live Meeting, Exchange, Sharepoint. So for the equivalent of that you need LotusLive Engage and LotusLive notes, Engage price is not listed on IBM website, and Notes is $9 a month.

3 - @2 - I can't speak to whether MS supports the full capabilities of the Outlook client with their hosted offering, but LotusLive iNotes does allow users to access via a desktop client as well.

"In addition to a web-based interface, all e-mail accounts are enabled with POP, authenticated SMTP and IMAP capabilities for use with e-mail clients such as Lotus Notes or
Microsoft Outlook."

In addition to BPOS, MS offers hosted email for $5/user/mo. That does not include the other services, and LL iNotes is still less expensive than that service.

LotusLive Engage can be purchased at $12/user/mo. With LL iNotes, that would be $15/user/month. So this combined offering, though it has more features, is more expensive that the MS BPOS offering.

4 - @3 I can only assume you have never used the notes client as a pop3 client.

So what are the additional features that iNotes and Engage have that BPOS doesn't?

5 - @4 - I haven't used the Notes client as a pop3 client, but I do use it as an IMAP client, and it works fine. Would I prefer it against a Domino server, absolutely. My personal preference for mail is a premise-based deplopment, but for companies looking at a SaaS offering, my point is that LL iNotes allows for a local client to be used.

I haven't used BPOS, so I may be incorrect in my statement about its features. But I have used a premise-deployed SharePoint environment, and LL Engage does offer more capabilities than SharePoint. I think it's a fair assumption that the SaaS offering does not have greater features than the premise-based offering, but I grant I may be wrong.

Features included in LL Engage include:
* Activities
* Charts
* Forms
* Files (in SP, though I don't know if it is integrated with other services in BPOS the way Files is within Engage)
* Meetings (no client required)
* My Network (networking with others within and outside your company)
* Instant Messaging (Sametime client)

And you can use the above features with guests who don't have paid subscriptions to LL.

Free trials are available: { Link }

6 - @4 The real difference between BPOS and LotusLive (Engage or Connections) is that within LotusLive you can have InterCompany Collaboration. And this is not possible with Microsoft BPOS.

Meaning:

* Within your company you can share files and contacts using Microsoft BPOS. But if you want to share files and contacts with customers/partners/suppliers you are back working in the "old" way, meaning sending e-mails with attachments.

* Within Lotuslive you share contacts and files with customers/partners/suppliers very easy.
One click and you have shared files internal but also external.
(including version management and download history)


This Extranet function (intercompany collaboration) will not become available in BPOS with SharePoint 2007.

And to be honest I do not see how Microsoft in the future will be able to make Extranet (Intercompany Collaboration) possible, given their architecture.

This is the big advantage for LotusLive (and Google Apps)

I have shared my personal expierence working with LotusLive, Google Apps, and Microsoft BPOS on the LotusLiveBlog { Link }