* Sun offers alternative to Microsoft Exchange
Sun this week shipped its Reference Solution for Enterprise Messaging Consolidation. This messaging system combines e-mail, instant messaging, calendaring and scheduling, identity management and the hardware on which it all runs.
The system is targeted at companies that run Microsoft Exchange, although it is also intended to attract customers using other legacy messaging systems. Sun claims that its product cost half as much as a Microsoft Exchange deployment, that it can reduce the number of servers in a messaging environment by 90%, and that its upgrade and migration costs are up to 80% lower than for Microsoft Exchange 2003.
Sun’s marketing message is simple: the company claims that its product provides dramatically lower total cost of ownership compared to Exchange and other systems. That’s a message that should resonate with many messaging managers, particularly those running systems two generations behind current offerings, such as Exchange 5.5. In addition to Sun, there are a number of other companies that are pushing Exchange alternatives, including Rockliffe, Bynari, Oracle, Scalix and Stalker Software.
How likely is it, however, that enterprises will want to jump ship and consider alternatives to their messaging environments? In research we conducted recently, we found that if a messaging system had to be replaced in its entirety – including desktop clients – there would be few takers for an alternative. However, if the desktop infrastructure could be retained (typically Outlook), then the interest in alternatives increased dramatically.
I believe a key driver for the success of any alternative to Exchange or some other mainstream messaging system will be its ability to significantly reduce the labor cost associated with managing the system. For example, in a typical messaging system, labor represents more than 90% of the long-term cost of that system. Savings in hardware, licensing and other non-labor costs simply won’t be enough of a driver to convince most enterprises of their need to switch from the tried and true.
I’d like to get your thoughts on this issue, particularly with regard to your willingness or unwillingness to switch to an alternative messaging system – please drop me a line at mailto:michael@ostermanresearch.com
