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MOVING MAIL TO DOMINO
Getting started with Domino email migration
By Craig Borysowich
This article examines the planning and processes involved in converting from various email systems over to Notes and Domino, and also discusses implementing various methods of accessing mail and database services from a Domino server. We will be taking a detailed look at the current configuration of a sample company (what we call a "project" company), and discussing some of the early planning stages and requirements before the conversion can take place.
There are now so many mergers and acquisitions on a daily basis, that one of the key challenges facing IT organizations around the globe is to take a mixture of email systems and safely migrate their users to a desired common mail platform. We will be using a project company to describe the many facets of this conversion.
Our project company
In our scenario the company's desired email platform is Notes and Domino, and our task will be to move from the current Domino user base of 1000 to a total 17000 users in eight countries when all of the conversions and migrations are complete.
At our project site, we have a diverse mix of email systems, including Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange, cc:Mail, and Lotus Domino on the LAN side, plus two mainframe mail systems, these being EMC2/Tao and PROFS/OV-VM. We will also be grappling with Internet mail or SMTP/MIME issues during our conversion. The company has changed from a distributed IT organization to a centralized IT group, and bought a few smaller companies along the way to create their current configuration.
Table A shows our current user distribution within the project:
| Email System |
# of users |
# of POs/Servers |
| PROFS/OV-VM |
10000 (approx.) |
1 (mainframe) |
| EMC2/Tao |
5000 |
1 (mainframe) |
| cc:Mail |
350 |
4 |
| Lotus Notes/Domino |
1000 |
8 |
| MS-Mail |
36 |
2 |
| MS-Exchange |
550 |
6 |
While the task seems quite overwhelming, the destination platform of choice is Lotus Domino with email, calendar and scheduling being the key drivers for the rollout.
Key drivers and project success factors
To make any rollout a success, there needs to be buy-in from senior management for making the transition, and a key driver (you could also call this a "motivator") for the change. A common email and scheduling system is our key driver to streamline communication within and between the many departments and divisions of the company. Our project company has embraced this key driver and upper management has made their technological direction clear with public statements at group functions within the company and even at shareholder meetings. Without clear buy-in from the senior management, a conversion of this magnitude will likely fail from lack of funding and lack of support from departmental staff who will not be energized by departmental management teams.
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