Lotus Users Wary About IBM's Workplace Strategy

Computerworld - ORLANDO -- While IBM's Lotus Software Group forges ahead with its Workplace strategy, the company still has work to do to convince some of the Lotus faithful that the new architecture makes as much sense for them as it does for IBM.
With the first round of Workplace products released and the second due soon, several attendees at the Lotusphere partner and user conference here last week said they're interested in finding out more about the platform that IBM calls its focus for Lotus' future.
For those accustomed to traditional Notes/Domino development, Workplace, based on J2EE, has a steep learning curve, said Manpreet Singh, chief operating officer at Denmark-based IT Factory A/S's India business. IT Factory develops applications based on Lotus software.
Singh said his office is trying to develop a Workplace strategy. It has had customers ask about the new technology, though no one has signed on yet for a deployment. Singh is worried about the portability of custom Domino applications and add-ons to the Workplace system.
"I've been talking to IBM. They say it's practically drag-and-drop," Singh said. But he's skeptical. "That's sales talk. It's impossible," said Singh.
Alaa El Ghatit, a knowledge-management technical strategist at Hewitt Associates LLC, a human resources outsourcing and consulting firm in Lincolnshire, Ill., says he's concerned about the resources required to migrate to a system crafted around Workplace software. "We need a lot more information on the ROI," he said.
Though IBM says it won't abandon its Notes/Domino base, El Ghatit says he worries that keeping up with current technology will require following IBM down the Workplace path, which would involve significant costs for retraining staff and purchasing new hardware.
"Are they just going to dump Domino into a support mode? I think there's still some concern," he said.
The hardware costs associated with Workplace may dissuade smaller companies from adopting the new software. Workplace's advanced features mean its hardware needs significantly exceed those of the "extremely efficient" Domino architecture, Workplace lead architect Jeff Calow acknowledged following a Lotusphere technical session.
Larry Bowden, IBM's vice president of portal solutions and Lotus products, said IBM is listening to customer concerns about Workplace and moving to address them with tools and programs intended to smooth the transition.
Here's the Plan
To reassure customers that their Lotus investments will be protected, IBM announced an unusually farsighted road map at the show. While engineers prepare for the late 2004 or early 2005 release of the next major Notes/Domino upgrade, Release 7, IBM is also at work