14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft indicated that it was continuously eroding IBM's market unified communications share, and that customers dumping the hardware giant were in the millions. The Redmond company pointed out that almost five million people switched from IBM Lotus Notes and Domino to Exchange and SharePoint in the last year alone. According to the software giant, the main aspects that drew customers away from IBM’s unified communications products and onto Microsoft's solutions are cost reductions and the boost in efficiency.
“In our fourth quarter earnings call, we shared the latest results of our efforts to free customers from the costs and antiquated architecture of Lotus Notes and Domino,” stated Julia White, director of Exchange Marketing, Microsoft. “In our last fiscal year (July 2008 - June 2009), more than 4.7 million people began the switch to Exchange and SharePoint from Notes. In today’s economic climate, this is strong testimony to the cost-savings and efficiency gains that companies can get by moving off Notes. Customers are recognizing that investment, even in tough times, can make them stronger for the long haul.”
White pointed out that Microsoft expected IBM to qualify the information they chose to share with the public as just FUD (fear-uncertainty-doubt). The Director of Exchange Marketing additionally underlined that, in the Redmond company's perspective, any IBM new Lotus Notes and Domino customers were in fact deciding to stick with the products a tad longer. White revealed that Cloud services and the developer and partner ecosystems were factors that added up to cost savings, when it came down to IBM customers making the switch to Microsoft.
“A Ferris Research survey of 917 companies found that Notes systems can cost twice as much as Exchange 2007,” White said. “(...) The launch of Exchange Online and SharePoint Online is a key driver for migrations. This past year, as these services have gone live, some major Notes customers – including Coca-Cola Enterprises, GlaxoSmithKline and Ingersoll Rand – are making the move from Notes to the cloud because of Microsoft’s software plus services strategy. (...) At 400,000 strong, our partner and developer communities are amazing! Every one of those 4.7 million Notes switchers started their migration with a Microsoft partner, and today, those partners are better than ever.”