The two sets of solutions offered by Lotus and Microsoft offer a different mixture of features and technologies and each one takes different approaches to technology integration. This article offers a broad comparison of applications and technologies and reaches the conclusion that Lotus Notes and Domino provide a more coherent and flexible solution than comparable Microsoft products within a groupware-oriented development environment. Lotus' better-integrated solution offers real-world advantages over Microsoft's product and development tool lineup in the collaboration and communication area.

Client-side integration
On the surface, the best client-side integration story seems to be that of Microsoft. After all, they control the Windows OS, the dominant Microsoft Office suite of business applications, MAPI (the Windows standard for email integration). Plus, they provide a free Web browser and email client.

Partly due to the bundling of Outlook with Microsoft Office, many IT managers have assumed that Microsoft would automatically become the leader in communication and collaboration applications. A flood of free applications from Microsoft has reinforced that impression. However, a more careful analysis shows that Microsoft lacks a fully complete integration strategy for messaging, collaboration, intranet (Web) applications, security, and directory services; all of which are key components within an integrated messaging and groupware infrastructure.