IBM Lotus Notes is an outstanding email application software, which offers secure business communication services, such as email, instant messaging, calendar management, appointment scheduler, and microblogging, etc. This application is bundled with IBM Domino Server that manages the storage and administration part of user email accounts and acts as the server-side software. Many large organizations implement IBM client-server architecture to facilitate email communication more secure and authentic. However, IBM Lotus Notes client application is more than just an email client because it has been developed to serve many other business purposes, such as document management, workflow management, and request approval, etc. In addition, the Lotus Notes can integrate the intelligent databases and applications of the IBM Domino Server. Because of these many reasons, companies have started giving a thought to switch to a less complex email platform.
Why Companies are Moving from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Outlook?
There are many remarkable features that are infused in the IBM Lotus Notes and IBM Domino Server applications, which makes this software more expensive and sophisticated. Hence, many companies are trying to move from IBM Lotus Notes technology into a simpler and user-friendly email application like the popular Microsoft Outlook because some companies require only an efficient email application platform rather than a sophisticated configurable unit.
Some of the important factors that influence the organizations or employees to shift from IBM Lotus Notes application to the Microsoft Outlook email platform are:
- The database of IBM Lotus Notes and Domino application is based on NoSQL technology which provides a granular level of security that can be applied by taking 10 distinct conditions. To manage this highly secure database, the provision of technical experts should be made. However, on the other hand, MS Outlook works in sync with MS Exchange Server that supports a simple Active Directory database.
- In the IBM Domino database, every single piece of information is stored as a Notes Storage Facility or NSF file, and each note is designated with a UniqueID. Apart from this, there are many types of notes that don’t follow the relational database methodology. Hence, it is really a complex task to manage and access NSF email items. However, in the MS Outlook email platform, all email data files are saved in PST or OST files, which can be easily accessible by any authentic user.
- In IBM Lotus Notes / Domino Server, all the email items, configurations, and applications are stored in Notes Storage Facility (NSF) rather than in any Windows registries. Such backup mechanisms of IBM Lotus Notes sometimes get disadvantageous during disastrous conditions. On the other hand, MS Outlook does backup all the files in OST, PST, or several Windows registries. Hence, it is evident that MS Outlook comes out safe in many challenging situations, i.e. it safeguards the crucial email items of Outlook user accounts without impacting the integrity.
Despite all this, Microsoft Outlook is emerging as the competitive email client because of the following mentioned reasons:
- Cost-Effective: At the end of the day, MS Outlook is turned out to be an inexpensive email client as compared to the IBM Lotus Notes because to maintain and administer the advanced IBM Lotus Notes/Domino Server email application, one needs to acquire and pay the maximum wages or salaries to highly qualified technical professionals.
- User-Friendly: Microsoft Outlook is developed with utmost simplicity and a rich graphical user interface, which is beneficial for varied categories of users. Unlike the IBM Lotus Notes email platform, in MS Outlook, users can access any email and other collaborative services without seeking the role of Administrators.
- Time-Efficient: Microsoft Outlook email application offers all email and other collaborative services on its single dashboard, which is more interactive and accessible. Users can schedule an appointment, send an email, or organize an event on calendars by simply engaging with features available on the default screen. Hence, it can be seen that employees who use MS Outlook rather than IBM Lotus Notes do execute their fast quickly.
After assessing the major advantages of MS Outlook over IBM Lotus Notes, companies are migrating from the IBM Lotus Notes platform to the MS Outlook platform, but in executing a migration on such a large scale, companies are desperately looking out for a reliable solution. The major concern of companies in planning out the IBM Lotus Notes to MS Outlook migration is to securely roll out the conversion of NSF files to PST files, without affecting the structure, properties, and formatting of emails. For all these migration scenarios, there is one solution NSF to PST, that can formidably migrate your NSF data files to the Outlook PST files.
Solution: NSF to PST
Lotus Notes to Outlook is the advanced email migration technology, which can fiercely migrate the Lotus Notes NSF files to Outlook PST files. In addition, the software is configured with smart migration options that let you connect with IBM Domino Server and MS Exchange Server for facilitating the migration between them. Apart from this, the software is compatible with almost all the latest editions of IBM Lotus Notes, Domino Server, MS Outlook, and MS Exchange Server.
Software Working Video to Migrate the Lotus Notes NSF files to Outlook PST
Conclusion
Through the medium of this blog, we have tried to help our Lotus Notes users analyze and assess different factors and concerns to give a thought before actually moving to the Microsoft Outlook email client permanently. Both email clients have distinctive qualities and features which users can utilize to grow and manage their business data well but they can decide the best for them by understanding the mentioned features and capabilities.