Watching IBM abandon the software is probably making Lotus Notes customers feel a bit nervous. However, this gives them a good opportunity to consider their options and see if now is the right time to make a change. This article tells you how.
In early December 2018, IBM announced it would be selling off what is left of Lotus, which includes Lotus Notes, Domino, and Portal, to Indian-based HCL Technologies for $1.8 billion. Given IBM’s move towards artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and cybersecurity, it isn’t shocking that they would look to sell Lotus Notes, especially considering their recent $34 billion acquisition of RedHat. For anyone who has been following Lotus Notes over the years, it’s become clear that IBM’s attention has long been elsewhere.
The Reason Behind the MoveSo, why did IBM decide to sell after almost 25 years? The answer lies in both, the past and the present. In 1995, Windows 95 was the king of operating systems, everyone was wearing flannel, and Lotus Development Corporation, with Lotus Notes enterprise collaboration software, was a major player in the enterprise technology scene.
At the time, IBM was looking to make a move into the fast-developing client-server computing segment that was starting to render some of its existing products obsolete. So, in 1995, IBM paid $3.5 billion to acquire Lotus and its software, specifically Lotus Notes. Despite being officially renamed long ago, Lotus Notes and Domino (officially named IBM Notes and IBM Domino) have stubbornly kept both their original names and their notoriety within the content management and enterprise collaboration software community.
However, things are very different now. For one, enterprise collaboration systems are no longer called enterprise collaboration systems. While flannel is still cool, the emergence of social media, smartphones, and near-instant communication with remote team members has completely changed users’ expectations towards their workplace software. Now, people want business tools that are as easy to use as their iPhone and as collaborative as their Facebook page. As time goes on, it’s clear that if enterprise software doesn’t meet those expectations, there’s going to be trouble.
Helping platforms that were designed before the cloud that meet the expectations of the 21st-century worker is a huge challenge.
Even with massive investment, older platforms, like Lotus Notes, still lack all of the features that can be found in more modern enterprise content management (ECM) systems and content services platforms (CSP).
Platforms like Lotus Notes were designed in a different era with far more limitations. The only way that they can truly compete with the functionalities of other, newer ECMs and CSPs is to build something entirely new and reuse the brand name. That kind of investment is intimidating, even for the most successful and accomplished companies.
The Good NewsThere is some good news for Lotus Notes users. By the sounds of it, HCL Technologies will likely pay much more attention to Notes than IBM did. However, there are still many issues that plague the platform that will require a lot of time and investment to solve.
Watching IBM abandon the software is probably making Lotus Notes customers feel a bit nervous. However, this gives them a good opportunity to consider their options and see if now is the right time to make a change.
Generally, Lotus Notes users have some combination of three options:
1. Stick it out Through the Transition
No one is exactly sure what HCL Technologies plans to do with Lotus Notes, but all signs point to them investing more time and money in it than IBM. So, Lotus Notes users could choose to stick it out. There may be a few bumps along the road while the team at HCL gets up to speed, but it doesn’t seem like HCL plans to abandon the product any time soon.
That said, the larger risk lies in maintaining the system long-term. Without IBM’s backing, the already small number of developers who are willing to specialize in Lotus Notes’ proprietary software is at risk of declining even further, creating a sizeable maintenance risk as the number of qualified developers dwindles.
2. Move Some or all Documents to Another On-premise Document Management System
If a Lotus Notes customer isn’t as confident in HCL’s abilities to smoothly take over the management of Lotus Notes, they’re probably going to start looking at their other options. One of these is transitioning to a newer, more modern on-premise document management system.
While this may be a big undertaking, migrating their files to a newer, more stable platform will help minimize any disruptions or service gaps and may provide them with more capabilities than available with Lotus Notes. That being said, doing this isn’t cheap. Between new physical infrastructure and maintenance costs, committing to a new on-premise system is a big investment.
3. Move Some or all Files to a Cloud-based Content Services Platform
Nowadays, cloud-based content services platforms and ECM systems are becoming easy-to-adopt options due to significant advances in cloud software technology and infrastructure. Of course, before considering a migration, Lotus Notes users will first need to make sure that the cloud platform will meet all the same requirements that Lotus Notes does.
The contrast between many of the cloud-based ECMs and Lotus Notes is quite large, so it may be a bit of shock to long-time Lotus Notes administrators at the beginning. Unlike some of the more traditional document management systems, most cloud-based platforms offer an emphasis on collaborative features and ease-of-use for end users while also allowing organizations to not worry about upgrades, which are handled by the cloud provider.
Much like acquiring a new on-premise system, these systems allow Lotus Notes users to have a contingency plan in case of any issues. However, it is worth noting that cloud-based platforms have significantly smaller infrastructure requirements and are more affordable to implement than their on-premise cousins all while efficiently meeting the same compliance requirements.
Regardless of which method users choose, IBM’s sale of Lotus Notes should make current users start to consider their enterprise software options and their long-term content management strategies. Why? Well, it seems to be a symptom of a larger trend of software moving towards the cloud.
As more and more technologies start migrating their infrastructure to the cloud, it seems unlikely that this is the last time that we see a once dominant content management platform abandoned because of its inability to adapt to the rapid changes in content management technology quickly.