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Novell

Microsoft Corp.

Netscape Communications Corp.

Lotus Development Corp.

Innosoft International

MegaSystems 15 objectives

RFP Collaborative Computing Solutions

By Nan cy Cox Planning for 21st century collaborative computing means revamping your messaging infrastructure to make it the company's primary and most fundamental means to communicate--exchange and share information anytime, anywhere with anyone.

Our hypothetical model company, MegaSystems, an international maker of arcade video games, recognized that this kind of bold move is required to solve myriad problems. The company wants to replace its rickety file-based messaging system with an enterprisewide collaborative computing infrastructure that facilitates timely and effective sharing of informat ion among MegaSystems' employees and between MegaSystems and its customers and suppliers.

MegaSystems is a geographically dispersed enterprise with 12,000 employees, as shown in the model diagram (on page 46). Four core offices are located in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Boston. Branches are scattered nationwide and in London and Tokyo. Only about 5,000 of those employees use e-mail; most use cc:Mail on Novell

NetWare file servers, with a smattering of Unix and Digital Equipment Corp.'s All-in-1. There is no predominant calendar/scheduler, no integrated fax support, no Internet capability, no workflow, no document management and no database connectivity from the cc:Mail messaging system. Nor is there any connectivity between the voicemail system and the cc:Mail system.

MegaSystems' Requirements We developed a Request for Proposal (RFP) for MegaSystems and sent it to 18 vendors. Innosoft International, Lotus Development Corp., Microsoft Corp., Netscape Communications Corp. and Novell r esponded with collaborative computing solutions that ranged from merely replacing the backbone to completely overhauling the messaging environment.

Those declining to submit a response to our RFP were Avistar Systems, CE Software, Control Data Systems, Coordinate.com, Enterprise Solutions, The Esys C orp., Hewlett-Packard Co., NetManage, Oracle Corp., QUALCOMM, Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems, SoftArc and Xerox Corp. These vendors said they "were not a good fit," "didn't have all the pieces," "didn't have the labor to work the proposal" or were "in the middle of a major announcement." These excuses are quite revealing. Customers need vendors that not only have a robust and comprehensive product suite but also are willing and able to partner with other third-party vendors to deliver a 21st century collaborative computing environment that solves their specific requirements.