GroupWise 5.5 leaves the launch pad

Orem, Utah

End users and network managers alike will cheer the document management enhancements built into Novell's GroupWise 5.5, according to beta testers and industry experts.

Novell last week began shipping its newest messaging and collaboration software, which had been code-named Surge. The company believes the revised product will help convince skeptics that GroupWise deserves the same consideration from customers and industry watchers as market leaders Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange.

Among the enhancements in GroupWise 5.5 are:

Intelligent routing capabilities that determine whether the intended recipients of a document are internal GroupWise users or outsiders, with the former getting only a pointer to the document and the latter a full copy.

A "related fields" capability that ensures repeated data, such as the identification number of a customer account, is input accurately throughout a form.

Document echoing that lets a mobile user copy documents to a laptop, work with those documents and resynchronize with GroupWise upon returning to the office.

Native Internet addressing that allows businesses using the messaging system to exchange data in a way that maintains encryption and full GroupWise fidelity during transport.

Improved calendaring and scheduling capabilities, including new print views.

GroupWise 5.5 will help assure continued loyalty to the product from Novell's enormous base of NetWare users, according to Mark Salandro, director of network services for the United Food & Commercial Workers union in Washington, D.C.

Letting administrators delegate "librarian" responsibilities to certain users will enable broader, easier access to documents stored in GroupWise and lessen burdens on IT departments, Salandro says. The upgrade also boasts noteworthy performance gains and additional calendar printing options, he adds.

Salandro's experience with the GroupWise 5.5 beta provided evidence of a renewed commitment to quality at Novell, he says.

"They held the ship date until the beta testers said it was OK, which wasn't the case in earlier releases," he says. "Marketing did not tell them when to ship this."

One industry expert says he believes the combination of GroupWise 5.5 and the soon-to-be-released NetWare 5.0 will give Novell a jolt of marketplace momentum.

"GroupWise is a strong product," says Mike Comiskey, an analyst with International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass. "Now they're working on a clearer marketing message."

Novell has not changed its prices for GroupWise 5.5, which range from $718 for a five-user license to $32,625 for a 250-user license.

Novell: (801) 429-7000