IBM/Lotus Quickly Adopt Unified Product Strategy

Press Release

IBM/LOTUS QUICKLY ADOPT UNIFIED PRODUCT STRATEGY ARMONK, N.Y., July 20, 1995. ..

Just two weeks after formally completing their merger, IBM and Lotus Development Corp. today outlined a series of strategic product decisions.

These include:
 * Adopting Lotus Notes** as IBM's workgroup client and mail, messaging and groupware server platform.
 * Adopting Lotus SmartSuite** as IBM's desktop suite.
 * Adopting Lotus** as IBM's brand name for PC application and workgroup software.

"Our product strategy is designed to leverage the complementary strengths of IBM and Lotus to help customers improve the way they use and share information," said John M. Thompson, senior vice president and Software Group executive, IBM. "We are adopting the Lotus brand for personal and workgroup applications because of Lotus' proven ability to deliver innovative desktop software, its leadership in integrated groupware and messaging, and its great brand equity," Thompson added. "We are committed to maintaining the openness of the Notes platform, and intend to accelerate the growth of the industry that has formed around Notes to the benefit of both customers and business partners."

"IBM's commitment to the Lotus brand, and Lotus' desktop and communications products sends an important signal to the marketplace about how focused we are on combining our strengths to meet the needs of current and future customers," said Jim Manzi, senior vice president, IBM and Lotus CEO. "Our unique combination of end-user software expertise and scalable enterprise systems experience has enabled us to very quickly address complex brand, product and technology-integration issues. We are confident that together we can enhance the way individuals, teams and entire organizations get work done."

The product decisions outlined today include:


 * Lotus Notes, the leading client/server platform for developing and deploying groupware applications, is IBM's workgroup client, and the Notes server product family is IBM's mail, messaging and groupware server platform.


 * Lotus Notes supports all major shipping operating systems, including IBM OS/2 Warp*, Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows NT, Apple Macintosh (client only) and four UNIX platforms: IBM AIX*, Sun Solaris, Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX and Santa Cruz Operation's OpenServer.The Notes server is also available as a NetWare loadable module for the Novell environment.


 * Plans are in place to incorporate IBM WorkGroup* function with Notes over the next year. IBM will continue to support WorkGroup customers and will assist them in making the transition to Notes.


 * Lotus SmartSuite, comprising 1-2-3**, Ami Pro** (soon to be Word Pro**), Freelance Graphics**, Approach**, Lotus Organizer** and ScreenCam**, is IBM's desktop suite.


 * Separate versions of SmartSuite are currently available on OS/2 Warp and Windows 3.1. New 32-bit versions of SmartSuite for OS/2 and Windows 95 are in development.


 * Lotus' suite development team will evaluate technology from StarDivision GmbH., which IBM has licensed, for possible future inclusion in SmartSuite.


 * cc:Mail*** is IBM's mail client.


 * cc:Mail will continue to support its current shared-file server and will also operate in client/server mode with the upcoming Notes Release 4 server. In the future, cc:Mail will provide direct support for other mail providers, such as the Internet, allowing users a single offering for their mail needs.


 * Customers seeking client/server-based integrated messaging and groupware capabilities will be encouraged to adopt the Notes Release 4 solution. The mail capability in Notes Release 4 fully supports the cc:Mail user interface.


 * IBM will continue to support its UltiMail* customers and transition plans will be developed to facilitate customers moving to cc:Mail.

The complementary nature of IBM's and Lotus' existing product lines will allow them to offer solutions that benefit from the integration of Lotus' desktop, groupware and client-level expertise with IBM's proven competence in larger-scale, mission-critical systems. Among the technologies that will be integrated are relational database, contextual search, document management, digital library, workflow, imaging and messaging. Examples include:


 * Lotus Organizer is IBM's personal information manager (PIM) and calendaring and scheduling client. Organizer's award-winning user interface and personal calendaring capabilities will be integrated with the enterprise scheduling capabilities of IBM WorkGroup, which also provides enhanced connectivity to existing IBM PROFS and OfficeVision customers.


 * Lotus Approach is IBM's desktop database. Approach will become the desktop link to DB2, using Lotus' PowerKey data access technology. Lotus Notes Document Imaging becomes IBM's desktop image client. LN:DI will continue to offer customers a choice of back-end server offerings, which will now be augmented by IBM's ImagePlus* product line.

Prior to the merger, IBM and Lotus had created key development linkages as well as several sales and marketing agreements throughout the world. Examples include development of LotusScript** extension (LSX) that allows Notes applications to access networks and information managed by IBM's Message Queueing Series (MQSeries*) and Customer Information Control System (CICS*) products, the Notes-enablement of IBM's ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager* (ADSM) product, and the bundling of Notes Express with OS/2 Warp Connect. All activity pre-dating the merger continues.