Microsoft Connects Outlook with Domino

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.