Enterprise Messaging: Linking Minds Together Across The Enterprise
by David Matthiesen and Stacy Hunt
Companies have come to the realization that efficiently disseminating and
organizing information is vital to their success. If Lotus' model of the
three Cs- communication, collaboration and coordination-defines the work
that groups do, then e-mail and high-end groupware systems are the obvious
panacea for many IT managers. The problem: Most companies that have e-mail/groupware
systems are burdened with pockets of unconnected end users.
Successfully moving to a true enterprise groupware solution will:
allow the synergistic talents within the organization to prosper;
provide some measure of real empowerment to individuals and workgroups;
make the company more competitive; and
tend to make the organization more responsive to internal and external
customers.
The real trick at this point in the pr
ocess is to successfully implement
the right system while avoiding the technological and/or financial abyss.
This article focuses on the technological side of the fence.
Different companies have different issues in moving to a new enterprise
messaging solution, but the following thumbnail sketches of different-sized
companies are generally accurate.
Very large companies (more than 10,000 users) typically are riddled with
disparate e-mail systems, incompatible directories, troublesome gateways
and multiple network operating systems, and usually have some investment
in a groupware system, such as Lotus Notes or Collabra Share. They tend
to be multinational and have installations across several time zones. These
are always the biggest challenges. The IT manager may be stuck with a migration
strategy that includes no allowances for server downtime, mail loss, user
disruption and formal end-user training. He or she usually has a budget
that will allow him or her to accomplish one-third of what needs to be done,
and the authority to dictate zip. We have seen this exact scenario too often
to ignore mention of it here.
Large companies (2,500 to 10,000 users) usually have the same problems of
a very large company with the possible exception of multiple network operating
systems. This scenario is just as painful, but the pain does not last as
long. An IT manager with complete authority and budgetary flexibility makes
all of the difference in these organizations.
Midsize companies (100 to 2500 users) rarely have a common solution either,
but they are less likely to be entrenched in the myriad of political fortresses,
"sunk cost" killjoys and old school managers who need to impede
progress in technology. Typically, the big holdup here is financial considerations.
Licensing software (with maintenance), implementing systems and supporting
the infrastructure can get expensive in a hurry. Often, a large training
expense for support personnel or the hi
ring of contractors or consultants
raises the ante here. Again, a well-positioned IT manager can do wonders
in these companies.
Small companies (less than 100 users) may not even have an e-mail system
in place. A few of the techies usually have their CompuServe or America
Online accounts, but most small organizations move to e-mail and/or groupware
only because their customers have it. These systems tend to be the easiest
to install, but financial restraints can be the barrier to nirvana once
again. Most small companies settle for a lesser solution because they lack
both the funds and a clear direction of what they want from their system.
Regardless of company size and complexity, it's a lucky IT manager who is
allowed to start from scratch, scrap the old baggage and migrate to a new
solution. Since this is a rare occurrence in most organizations, we will
address not only this "field of dreams" scenario, but also the
more typical "reality bites" installed-base scenario where most
organizations languish.
The primary sections cover the most important considerations of any IT manager
choosing and/or deploying an enterprise messaging system.
Is Your Network Ready?
Some questions to
answer before contemplating a network-intense application.
Choose the Winner.
Which enterprise messaging/groupware
system to deploy and migrate to from disparate or older systems.
David Matthiesen (davidm@evinet.com) of Matthiesen Integration Services
(www.evinet.com/mis) and Stacy Hunt of Fire Opal Technologies and InfoWorks
have sp
ent most of their seven-year IT careers planning, deploying, maintaining
and supporting enterprise e-mail/groupware systems and LANs at some of the
largest West Coast companies. They are assisting Pacific Bell with their
companywide Microsoft Windows NT/Exchange deployment.
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