Tools Will Be Ready When Domino 5 Debuts

By ELLIS BOOKER

A panoply of third-party software will be in the wings when Lotus' new Notes/Domino 5.0 finally makes its debut at Lotusphere, the annual Lotus user gathering, next week in Orlando, Fla.

The 5.0 release, which had been expected at the end of last year, will both enhance the Internet qualities of Lotus' flagship product and offer knowledge management features that Lotus said are key to keeping the company ahead of its competitors, principally Microsoft Exchange.

"The R5 client is a major step forward for knowledge management and customization," said Matt Cain, vice president of workgroup computing at Meta Group. On the server back end, Cain said, Meta expected the R5 release to double the scalability of the current server offering.

Among the third parties developing tools is Relavis Corp. The provider of Notes-based sales force automation tools will preview OverQuota 5.0, which uses Domino's knowledge management features to create a customer relationship management platform. OverQuota will ship in the third quarter.

Stampede Technologies Inc. will announce TurboGold Server-To-Server, which accelerates the replication of Lotus Notes databases between Domino servers by compressing and streaming data. The product will ship in the second quarter.

SkillSet Software Inc., a provider of HR applications, will unveil Employment Exchange version 2.0, a suite that spans and manages every aspect related to hiring and recruiting, according to SkillSet.

Percussion Software, a supplier of add-on tools for Lotus Notes, will announce Notrix 5.2, an upgrade to its data integration tool that now offers SAP support through a native driver and a real-time flexible query. Notrix 5.2 will be available in April. Percussion also will debut Percussion ServerAdmin Plus version 6.0 for managing Domino servers.

GWI Software will take the wraps off the GWI Collaborative Front Office, a suite of integrated applications for sales, marketing, customer service, knowledge management, IT help desks and asset management, as well as for Internet- and intranet-based, end-user self support. The suite is aimed at small and midsized businesses and will be available next month.

Sybari Software Inc. will announce Antigen 5, an antivirus and security protection suite for Lotus Notes clients and Domino servers. Antigen 5 is among the first to provide virus protection for Domino R5 features, such as multiple MAIL.BOX databases and document storage formats such as MIME. The tool will ship in March.