Novell continues to push ahead with its GroupWise application
software, hoping to distinguish itself in a busy field of
contenders that include Microsoft and IBM.
Earlier this week, Novell and partner vendor IntelliReach gave a
preview of the latest version of GroupWise, due out in February, by
exploring key features and reminding users of some of the existing
product's strengths in terms of total cost of ownership and
flexibility.
Howard Tayler, product manager for GroupWise at Novell, said the
company would continue to offer its GroupWise line to enterprise
business customers while providing a separate NetMail product for
the Internet services market.
By providing different versions for different needs, the company
believed it could better serve customers and provide flexibility
that competitors could not offer.
Version 6.5 of GroupWise aims to take over where Version 6 left off
by adding improved antispam features, which will allow users to
reduce unwanted e-mail by 65%, and an instant messaging application
called "Conversation".
One feature the new IM application will not have in its initial
release with GroupWise 6.5 is compatibility with other IM clients
in use. "We recognize that this is important, that this is
something you're going to want to have," Tayler said. "It is in the
works."
He added that one of the main strengths of Novell's applications
compared with those of its competitors is their lower total cost of
ownership.
Novell has some 34 million users of its GroupWise application,
according to IDC figures.