Microsoft and IBM got a little closer Friday, when Microsoft unveiled the Outlook 2002 Connector, a software add-in that that lets users of IBM Lotus Domino Release 5 messaging server use the Outlook 2002 client for e-mail.
Developed with IBM’s support, Outlook 2002 Connector is the first Microsoft-developed connector for Outlook and Lotus Domino.
“Many of our customers with Domino servers have told us they would like to give their employees the opportunity to use the latest version of Outlook,” said Ralf Harteneck, corporate vice president of the Communication and Meeting Services Group at Microsoft. “Microsoft strives to make Office and its family of applications as valuable as possible in a variety of IT infrastructures.”
Microsoft designed Outlook to work with its own Microsoft Exchange Server. But the connector allows companies which have tapped IBM for their e-mail infrastructure — or which have elected to go with a mixed Domino and Exchange environment — the ability to use Outlook regardless. Connector allows users to use Outlook for e-mail, calendar and contact management while in a Domino environment.
“The Outlook 2002 Connector is a great example of industry cooperation responding to diverse customer needs,” said Ken Bisconti, vice president of Messaging Solutions for Lotus Software at IBM.
Users require an Outlook 2002 license to use Connector, which is available as a free add-in for Outlook 2002 through the Office Resource Kit. Microsoft said it will release the Connector in eight major languages.