Explore Difference between Lotus Notes and Office 365/Exchange Online
Lotus Notes vs Office 365 has been a raging debate among admins even when both the platforms are now known by different names. HCL acquired the former, and Microsoft renamed its product to better represent its product. However, name and ownership are just surface-level differences between the two. As we are going to reveal in this write-up, there are multiple parameters on which both take a completely opposite route. After which, they will be able to determine if they need to do a Lotus Notes to Office 365 migration or vice versa. So, let’s take an overview of each platform one by one.
Table of Contents
About Lotus Notes Before the Debate
Before understanding Lotus Notes vs office 365. Let us understand in brief about Lotus Notes. It is an IBM’s email client. Lotus Notes email files are saved in .nsf extension. Lotus Notes Server is known as Domino. With so many operational capabilities, Lotus Notes is much more than just an email client. This is because it also contains other email items like to-do lists, templates, journals, contacts saved in address books, bookmarks, tasks team-rooms, discussion forums, file sharing, micro-blogging, instant messages, blogs, & user-directories. etc.
Also Read: How to Troubleshoot Lotus Notes Issues on Your Own
So, it’s not only an emailing application but total enterprise solution for all organizational email activities. Lotus Notes is able to access both, local as well as server-based data & applications. Let’s have a quick look at some of the useful features of Lotus Notes before knowing Difference between Lotus Notes and Office 365 or Lotus Notes vs Exchange online.
- Emailing & quick-messaging
- Web browsing use
- To-do-lists and calendars to manage work assignments’ list, operations that user has to execute, and responsibilities user needs to carry out on specific days, to formulate a timetable as per the date
- One can use IBM Notes for accessing local and server-based data & applications
Highlighting Office 365 in Brief
Office 365 is cloud-based solutions’ suite including MS Exchange Online as email/calendar environment, along with multiple collaborative applications like SharePoint, Office Web-Apps, desktop applications, Skype for Business etc. With Office 365 suite, you will be provided with the following applications which will explain you the Difference between Lotus Notes and Office 365:
- Exchange Online for emails, sharing calendars/contacts/tasks
- Office Online for collaborating with Word/Powerpoint/Excel/OneNote online
- Office ProPlus which is the free desktop/mobile version of MS Office
- OneDrive Transfer (Limits for Free Account)/Online storage of file (having the capacity of 1 TB)
- Skype for Business is a tool for instant messaging, for online meetings, voice/video conferences, and also for screen-sharing
- SharePoint can be used for web content creation, documents management as well as collaboration
Before we can see the differences, let’s check out what’s the same between the two platforms.
Lotus Notes vs Office 365 Understanding the Similarities
This helps us make the comparison more accurate later on.
Basic Email Communication
Both HCL Notes and Office 365 fall into the communication tools category. So the primary role is the same, which is to improve information sharing among the workforce.
Therefore, both include an email service for sending, receiving, managing, and organizing email messages.
The secondary email options to add attachments, build folders, and set priorities are also available in both of them.
Standard Collaboration Features
Wherever there is communication, collaboration follows. As a result, users get the basic ability to share data with colleagues regardless of the platform they go with. So organizations won’t find any major differences while sending documents, spreadsheets, and slides.
Personal Information Management
One other area where users might see similarities between the two is the ability to use digital calendars and contacts. Users can maintain their online professional network with (names, emails, etc.) and schedule appointments (reminders, invitations).
Difference Between Lotus Notes and Office 365 in App Availability
What makes Office 365 special is its vast array of inhouse native apps. Each with its own distinct use case. Such is the variety of apps that users often complain that they are not able to make full use of their subscription. Some of the most well known are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive etc.
When we look at Lotus Notes we find no such library of apps. There lies a key difference between the two. Although HCL tries to balance this gap by allowing organizations to deploy their custom alternatives it is rarely similar to what O365 has to offer.
Compare AI Integration in Microsoft 365 and HCL Notes
There is no doubt that Artificial intelligence is here to assist us. And Microsoft seems keen to be the leading provider of this technology. With the introduction of Copilot (Microsoft AI companion) more and more organizations experience improvement in day-to-day productivity. It can be used for everything from in-context suggestions, improve search accuracy, and automate tasks. This has almost endless potential.
HCL (formally IBM) Notes lags behind in this department as well. This is mainly because it is a largely on-premise-based product. So naturally, deploying AI capabilities becomes a major headache. To combat this HCL provides its clients with APIs and guidance in AI integration. All in all, Notes seems to be losing this round, as it will always be better to get a finished product than to come up with an in-house solution.
HCL Notes vs Microsoft 365 Historical Comparison
For admins as well as users alike it is important to take a look as how did both of these came to be. It gives us a more clear picture as to why there are so many differences despite occupying a similar niche.
HCL is not the originator of Notes; in fact, they bought it from IBM in 2019 who inturn got it after their acquisition of LDC. The timeline resembles the following: Start – 4.0 (Lotus Development Corporation), 4.0 – 11.0 (IBM), 11.0 – Current (HCL).
When we look at Office 365 we find that it was a brainchild of Microsoft and has been developed by it with no other owners. Microsoft has bolstered its capabilities time and time again with strategic acquisitions. However, the core product remains what it is. And now after its transformation into Microsoft 365 (basically a reskin). Office 365 is even more tightly integrated into the ecosystem.
Difference Between Lotus Notes and Office on User Interface
This is the criteria that makes or breaks a users engagement. With a legacy of industry-leading interface Microsoft scores extra brownie points. Although sometimes Microsoft graphics could appear sluggish as they were aimed for corporate offices. Its safe to say that they have come a long way since the boxy green fields of the XP era. Now every animation, button placement, and visulaization is carefully crafted to minimise effort and maximise intuitiveness.
HCL is more or less playing catch up when it comes to a GUI. Its functioning, but that’s about it. As HCL inherited the cumbersome bloats, which were a major reason why customers left the earlier IBM Notes. It would be wrong not to praise the speed with which the interface has seen improvements. However, time will tell if its enough to compete with the juggernaut that M365 is.
The main problem with a hard-to-use interface is the extra time that users have to spend on learning it rather than doing the work they were supposed to. So this in turn adds secondary costs in terms of workforce training.
Security Difference between the Two
AES is the now standard protocol and it is safe to say HCL has implemented it inside Notes once they took over. Reducing the security concerns that users had previously. The server-level architecture uses NoSQL.
On the other hand, there is an entire Office 365 security and compliance system.
Lotus Notes vs Office 365 Setup
This is perhaps the most significant difference between the two. That’s why this debate on HCL Notes vs Office 365 puts forward the question of on-premise vs cloud to the forefront. As Microsft 365 (earlier Office) is entirely a cloud-based setup , that is if we exclude the one-time purchase Office 2021 version. The cloud setup ensures that all the data is readily accessible with just an internet connection. So remote work is also possible.
While no activity can be performed on HCL Notes unless and until the device is on the same network as the server. As on-premise setup provides the direct ability to see the housed data organizations have to sacrifice something in return. However organizations who want greater control over security and customization this is a must.
Cost Comparison Between HCL/IBM/Lotus Notes and Microsoft Office 365
Doing a direct price comparison between the two is rather difficult. HCL Notes have a high variance between them so much so that no two customers have the same billing amount. Moreover, as there is no official figure to go from it is hard to estimate on what that number may look like. The industry average of similar programs goes anywhere from $20 to $50, so your cost may be in this range. Keep in mind that server maintenance may need to be negotiated separately.
Where as Office 365 plans have a fixed price globally that starts from $6.00 per user per month (pricing may change due to external factors like currency fluctuations and taxes). Price increases depending upon the plan you subscribe to and can be paid either monthly or annually.
Concluding
The above article shed light on two different email environments, Lotus Notes vs Office 365. We have tried to explain the key points of difference between Lotus Notes and Office 365 in an easy-to-understand language. We hope those who are confused between the two will find what they need and will be able to select the appropriate choice.