Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Group Where? Almost Anywhere

    By
    Michael Caton
    -
    August 15, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Companies looking for a way to leverage Microsoft Corp. Outlook—but not necessarily with Exchange—have a growing number of flexible groupware servers from which to choose.

      eWEEK Labs evaluated four of the newest of these servers: Bynari Inc.s Insight Server 4.2, CommuniGate Systems CommuniGate Pro Real-Time Collaboration 4.3, Gordano Ltd.s Gordano Messaging Suite 11 and Scalix Inc.s Scalix Server 9.2.1. Through a plug-in, the servers connect Outlook users to features including group calendar and scheduling and shared folders.

      We gave CommuniGates CommuniGate Pro our eWEEK Labs Analysts Choice award not only for providing good groupware features for users but also for offering administrators a broadly extensible system that supports third-party tools and runs on a range of server hardware and operating systems.

      With the exception of Scalix Server, all the products have prices lower than those of most enterprise groupware applications, with per-user costs in the range of $20 to $47. Exchange 2003, in contrast, has a per-user license cost of $67, while Scalix Servers price approaches $60 per user.

      The servers we tested will be good replacements for many older groupware servers, a move that many enterprises may be considering as Microsoft is set to discontinue extended support for Exchange 5.5 at the end of this year.

      eWEEK Labs tests show that these servers provide a good way to upgrade from an older POP (Post Office Protocol)- or IMAP-based e-mail system—or from an older version of Exchange—without significantly changing the way users work at the desktop. When replacing POP and IMAP systems with one of the groupware servers tested, users gain the ability to share calendars and folders and to make those shares available through a Web browser or from Outlook. The products replicate the Outlook-to-Exchange experience with varying degrees of success, however, with Scalix coming closest.

      None of the products provides full Outlook-to-Exchange feature fidelity in Outlook, but they all hit the basics of group calendar and scheduling, shared folders, and e-mail. The feature that companies are likely to miss most when using the servers we tested with Outlook is forms. Administrators also have the additional overhead of deploying a MAPI (Messaging API) connector to each client. With the exception of Bynari, all the vendors support remote packaged distribution of their connectors. With the Bynari offering, administrators will need to perform a few additional tasks to ensure that the connector installs with user- specific settings.

      In general, the products we tested offer better Web mail experiences than the products they might be replacing. For example, the servers support multiple browsers—and provided the same client experience on Microsofts Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundations Mozilla and Firefox browsers—and include useful capabilities such as customizable interfaces.

      The products dont have the same level of third-party add-on tools that are available for platforms such as Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino, but important tools such as anti-virus and anti-spam filters are available for all the servers. The Bynari and CommuniGate Pro servers have the most options.

      When it comes to archiving e-mail, CommuniGate Pro and Gordano are the only two servers we tested that have integrated solutions. CommuniGate Pro partners with BlueArc Corp. to provide archiving capabilities, while Gordano includes a tool set designed to archive for compliance purposes. With Insight Server and Scalix Server, companies will need to use proxy-based compliance tools and general backup applications.

      The four servers we tested, all of which were released in May, give IT administrators a range of hardware choices, including IBMs Power5-based iSeries servers. CommuniGate Pro and Gordano support several operating systems, as well—including Windows, Linux and Solaris—while Insight Server and Scalix Server support only Linux. All the products support Active Directory, but they also give companies the option to use LDAP or their own internal directory structure.

      Click here to read the full review of CommuniGate Pro Real-Time Collaboration 4.2.

      Click here to read the full review of Insight Server 4.2.Click here to read the full review of Gordano Messaging Suite 11.

      Click here to read the full review of Scalix Server 9.2.1.

      Technical Analyst Michael Caton can be reached at michael_caton@ziffdavis.com.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for more on IM and other collaboration technologies.

      Michael Caton
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×