Study Reveals Microsoft Exchange Server Has Lower Cost of Ownership Than Lotus Notes

REDMOND , Wash. — , Oct. 14, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the findings of a study conducted by Zona Research Inc. that concludes that Microsoft® Exchange Server costs 47 percent less per user to deploy and support than Lotus Notes.

The report, titled Microsoft Exchange vs. Lotus Notes: A Cost of Ownership Study, shows that customers who require a powerful Internet messaging and groupware system for their organization will realize greater cost savings by deploying Microsoft Exchange.

Customers realize the greatest savings in the following areas:

  • Total cost. Microsoft Exchange customers realize a 47 percent savings in total cost over Lotus Notes customers. The total cost per user for acquisition, deployment and support over a three-year period is $388 for Microsoft Exchange, vs. $727 for Lotus Notes.

  • Deployment costs. The deployment cost over a one-year period for Microsoft Exchange is $43.31 per user, compared to $125.35 for a Lotus Notes user, a savings of 65 percent.

  • Hardware costs. Customers are supporting an average of 232 users on a single Microsoft Exchange server, compared to an average of 54 users on a single Lotus Notes server, a difference of over 329 percent. In addition, the average hardware acquisition cost per user over a one-year period for Microsoft Exchange is $65.36 vs. $279.30 for a Lotus Notes user. This translates into a 77 percent savings.

  • Support costs. Over a one-year period, Microsoft Exchange customers will spend 57 percent less on support than Lotus Notes customers.

  • Staffing costs. Over a three-year period, organizations deploying Microsoft Exchange will spend 40 percent less on staffing their help desks than Lotus Notes customers.

“Zona collected feedback on the most relevant issues from customers deploying both Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange,”
said Rich Tong, vice president, marketing and training in the desktop and business systems division at Microsoft.
“The research results clearly illustrate that Microsoft Exchange is a better investment than Lotus Notes.”

The study was undertaken by Zona Research to compare the three-year life-cycle cost of ownership for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. Customers were surveyed on the amount of resources, time, money and personnel needed to deploy Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. In particular, the study focused on areas often considered most critical in making a purchase decision for a messaging and groupware product, including the initial hardware and messaging server acquisition, system planning, server and messaging client deployment, initial training time and costs, IS and help-desk staffing, and ongoing training for users, administrators and internal developers.

The complete report can be found on the Zona Research Web site (http://www.zonaresearch.com/) or the Microsoft Exchange Server Web site http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/ .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Related Posts