“If you need the kind of groupware functionality you get from the Exchange ecosystem, there’s really nothing for you on Mac OS X, and that’s a real problem for Apple which is trying to gain traction in the Enterprise,” John Welch writes for Datamation. “Groupware is a mission-critical need in corporate America. The ability to have your email, contacts, events, scheduling and tasks all working together is no longer a luxury of the Fortune 500. While things like iCal, and Web client-only systems may work for a select few, in a modern enterprise it’s not going to play. Things like delegation, public folders, real handheld support, instant messaging integration and the rest are not ‘highfalutin’ options anymore. They’re basic functions that an enterprise needs to coordinate the functions of its people.”
“And every time Apple has to throw up its hands when asked about groupware and admit that its only calendaring solution is .Mac, they lose a lot of credibility outside of the server room,” Welch writes. “Groupware is one of the biggest holes in Apple’s Enterprise offerings. There’s nothing out there that runs on Mac OS X that you can use to replace Exchange, or Domino, or Groupwise. Apple offers a solid email solution, and a good directory service, but that’s it. There’s no calendaring, and if you aren’t on Mac OS X 10.4 Server, good luck with using network address books. That’s just not going to cut it.”
“Now, as a Mac writer, it probably borders on heresy for me to be using Exchange, or to be as happy with it as I generally am. ‘John, why aren’t you using something that runs on Mac OS X?’ Well, I’d like to, but at the moment, there aren’t any mature groupware servers that run on Mac OS X that support enterprise groupware’s range of needs. Note… I said mature. There are some products that come close for a subset of those features,” Welch writes. “I know a lot of companies that regularly evaluate competitors to Exchange, but other than Domino, GroupWise or possibly Oracle Collaboration suite, there really aren’t any. And on Mac OS X, there are none. The opportunity is there. It’s rich, and it’s waiting for someone to ‘Think Different.’ It’s only a matter of time before someone does, and it would be silly if the first enterprise-ready groupware solution on Mac OS X didn’t come from Apple.”
Full article, highly recommended, here.
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Just read your post DavidLow and it makes sense to me. Perhaps tthe moment will be when OpenOffice starts to take off..?
Kerio MailServer is a very good product:
http://www.kerio.com/kms_home.html
“As an alternative for Microsoft Exchange, Kerio MailServer provides access to shared calendars, shared contacts and email from Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Entourage, and Kerio WebMail”
This guy should look at OXServer. The app he is talking about already exists.
LDAP works with apples email app and Ical and anythig address book..
Then there is rendevous……oops Bonjour
When Apple feels that the lack of a solution is holding them back, they’ll come up with a solution. The PROBLEM is, ANYTHING Apple does, you get half the people yelling “It’s gotta be compatible with Microsoft’s stuff” and the other half yelling “It’s gotta be compatible with (my favorite open source solution)” when whatever Apple does will work GREAT if you’re using the latest version of OSX…. period.
And the next person that says something about Keynote not being fully compatible with PowerPoint…grmbl
Try Sugar CRM.
A free open source version is available.
Works well with any web browser.
Now Up-To-Date & Now Contact are the #1 best cross-platform multi-user calendaring & contact manager programs available… but they have no email capabilities.
It doesn’t make sense to create a product suite to compete, because Google is already working on something like this that is web-based and Microsoft is talking about going that direction with Exchange and Outlook.
Apple should take all the pieces that they already have and integrate them: .Mac services, mail, ichatAV, iCal, address book, iWork, AppleWorks, and maybe buy Filemaker back again. I am sure they are already doing this. In my opinion, the whole .Mac thing is just a test of the waters for this type of service via the web. Besides, after they announce the ApTel boxes, what is left to work on?
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I work in an environment where a lot of investment has been made in MS and I do think Exchange is a good system, but the currnet Mac client, Entourage is appalling. Trouble is it is the only solution there is. Unless you want to try and run the classic version of Outlook…
I went to a launch for Tiger at Apple UK and during the Q+A I asked why Apple have not produced a fully Exchange compatible client and I was told they had not seen any real demand for it, which most of the room found patently absurd. Even if they license the Evolution Exchange Connector and build into Mail and iCal it would be a hundred times better than Entourage.
If Apple really are serious about the enterprise market they need to address the groupware issue somehow.
Buy FileMaker back again? What are you talking about? Apple STILL OWNS FILEMAKER. Plus, a database solution has nothing to do with a Groupware solution.
I own a small business that has several macs, and we are looking for exactly something like this. Been searching, and I think some of the items listed above might be worth checking out, especially for the shared address book/contacts…
I talked with Microsoft’s Exchange guy at MacWorld SF this year. Well, I actually yelled at him.
And he said, “I feel your pain. We use Exchange too.” Well, duh! You work at Microsoft! And you can’t get it to work better? I told him throw every MS Mac programmer at it until it’s done. We don’t need more features in Office, or anything else Microsoft has for Mac until that’s DONE!!!! And I stand on that argument to this day.
GET EXCHANGE SUPPORT DONE BEFORE YOU DO ONE OTHER SINGLE THING TO ANY OTHER PIECE OF SOFTWARE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR.
And then we’ll believe you when you say you are listening to us.
I wish there was something better than Exchange out there. (Novell, you listening?)
Wait for Leopard Server is all I’m going to say…
There is some Exchange like software for the Mac. Its CommuniGate Pro:
http://guide.apple.com/action.lasso?-database=macosguide&-layout=cgi_detail&-response=/ussearch/detail.html&prodkey=30597&-search
Google keeps wanting to add net-based apps and already has a ton of Mac friendly types at HQ. Why not talk to Google and Co-Develop a cross platform solution hosted by Google? Let Apple develop the Mac client, Google the PC & LINUX versions.
Sorry: http://www.stalker.com/content/default.html
First of all, Apple creates killer software for impossible tasks. Look at Aperture and all of the video apps.
An app that combines all of contact and calendar management for a network enterprise is SIMPLE compared to the high bandwidth challenges of photos and video.
There’s already an app that basically spotlights everyone in your address book to combine all the information about them. Selecting someone shows every interaction with them. Adding a new event, such as “phone call out” to them is immediate and simple.
http://www.crm4mac.com/
I’m sure Apple could create the Aperture version of groupware, that is, taking the enterprise network and providing a 21st century solution.
Mac Intels will be able to run Outlook.
That’s why we’ll all want one.
You read it first here.
eSteve
iRDF?
iKoolAid
I agree with the article. I have read all the comments around Apple not tackling the enterprise solution, and see all the links to alternatives.
I have to say that (until a better option is produced), Exchange is the only (the only one they will use, anyway) collaboration solution available to large enterprises – the features in the solution are hard to replace (aka delegation, collaboration, etc). I would like to see a better alternative, but there is nothing.
On Apple not targeting enterprise, this is completely wrong. Apple’s strategy has always been to integrate, rather then replace. They are looking to offer alternatives in the lucrative server market (aka Xserve) that can be used to house all the major’s (i.e. OS X, Unix, Linux and Windows). One has to say that Apple’s approach has been good, but for enterprise companies that wish to ditch Windows altogether, this is not possible …
Apple: “Here’s our enterprise solution, but you will need a Windows Server with Exchange for your collaboration activities”.
C’mon Apple, come out with a enterprise collobaration solution for OS X Server, and chnage your strategy from “integrate” in enterprise back to “Think Different”.
Apple will first and mostly be a ‘consumer’ rather than an ‘enterprise’ company.
The driving forces in enterprise and consumer are orthogonal. You can’t successfully serve two masters. Look at Microsoft: it cannot do it. Yeah, sure, it sells to everyone but let’s face it: it SUCKS. Apple’s goal is not to conquer the market with rather average products but to provide great outstanding products to its customers: and those are consumers not corporate users.
Why Microsoft CANNOT truly do any innovation. Why do you think every new Windows version is practically just the same soup with new eye candies? Why Vista is going to be just XP with little minimal changes here and there, enough to justify a new package?! BECAUSE, corporate MASTERS do not want Windows to change, and want Microsoft to keep supporting years old versions.
Do you seriously think we would have seen OS X if Apple was catering enterprise solutions? We would still be at OS 9, at most we would have had OS 10, not OS X
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The computing world will be much better when consumers will fully understand – and they slowly are – that their computer and operating system is a Mac running OS X. Better to leave Microsoft Windows confined to their cubicle to do dull, repetitive, boring enterprise tasks.
They can do it now, and they even can use the Mac to work from home in the majority of the cases. Sooner or later they will see that as all other switchers are: 67% more CPUs sold in Europe, 52% in US, 49% more YOY worldwide. Isn’t it that an Eye Opener per se?
Those who said or are saying no to the Mac should not ”Think Different”, they should actually “ReThink!”
I completely disagree with Seahawk. Look, Apple is at it’s heart geared toward consumers – I agree with that – however, consumers need some intergration between their home and work systems. I love the integration of iSync, .Mac, iCal, and Address Book. But, the one thing missing is the ability to share that with those at work. I’ve gotten everyone at my office to switch to Apples and we’re using Tiger’s shared Address Book and iCal. But, the limitations of that “sharing” are significant. Come on Apple, give us the ability to use our Apples at work, too. I want tighter integration of these tools in a network for office based users.
Mark
Mark D, you are not actually disagreeing with me, just re-read your post:
“consumers need some integration between their home and work systems”
Where did you put the subject? In *consumers*. Apple will not make a corporate application where the driving requirements is “Corporate America needs these applications so that its employees will have integration between this area of workflow and this other”.
Your sentence above goes exactly well with my take. Apple will little by little make better integration and with time the existing bundled applications will probable integrate better with Exchange (a la Entourage) but thinking this is high in Apple’s priority ladder is a mistake. It is not that high as Apple does not want Corporations to dictate what the system will be or WHEN to implement a better way to do things – the way it happens with Microsoft, that is – .
If consumer base at large will ask for better integration, then with an update here and an update there better integration will come. Just do not expect server apps just there to cater the needs of enterprises. Just that. Nothing more nothing less. Apple is in the consumer business and realizes that its “consumers need some integration between their home and work systems”. Some.
just run opengroupware.org on a linux box…
There are so many enterprise IT departments deploying 2000 on xp licensed boxes it isn’t even funny. Sure, there can be better products than office, but it’s the incumbent officer and it can’t just be dethroned when there’s no need. We can speak of groupware as calendaring/scheduling, email, filesharing, whiteboarding, whatever we want; but we can’t make the way an office works beyond that go away.
Work is the end ware, office or project whatever is as much middleware as any client running on a box. People redline word docs collaboratively and Adobe still hasn’t dethroned this with PDF markup. Server side is where it happens and this is still dependent on someone being there to catch whatever is served. Being in an x86 transition means that the ‘standard’ (incumbent) catcher (office et al) is not native and can’t be dethroned until it allows the mac x86 platform to function as a peer among equals.
It’s kinda obvious that Apple has a long term plan to release local Apple branded software to perform all the Office + jobs required, but until Office for x86 is out and native, the platform saturation won’t be there. Isn’t anyone surprised that ical and isync have generally sat around for years? Addressbook? Sharing in the filesystem? These see very minor improvements considering how much potential they have. I can’t see how anyone would think Apple is going to let those slide in favor of a web based system that another company controls.
The order of operations that people presume to be necessary for macs to enter the enterprise seems strange as well: why separate Apple branded software from software that runs on Apple computers? If your office uses Office, then you’re going to end up using it right now and for the next few years. Step one (1) should be to get people used to using Mac OS X on Apple branded hardware with all native applications, while still focusing on the fact that it is compatible w/ windows versions of the same products. Step two is to continue the parallel development of the groupware applications and nudging MS into making their products fully compatible by introducing server software that has the obvious potential to compete, but is crippled. Step three is to launch a full out competition head to head so that the winning product is chosen on merits.
This part “Powerpoint, Word, Access (filemaker) Excel, Exchange” is irrelevant with the exception of exchange and excel. I barely use Pages, but it could obviously be made to function as well as Word, if not better w/o much development time. Keynote gets rid of Powerpoint. Access is ridiculous, sure it would make sense to have it included in all Mac versions of Office however it is owned by anything else out there so it’s not even taken seriously. Excel is a good product and there isn’t a very simple Apple app that brings in half the power. There’s overkill, but that’s one thing that Apple might want to address just to make a small threat available. Exchange is the problem and it’s a political issue that can only be resolved w/ thinly veiled threats from subpar apps until full compatibility is there. Project unfortunately presents another political product.
It’s all about getting control freaks to relinquish control so that it takes only the user to administer a workstation. This can easily happen to a mac in a mixed environment, but it won’t happen w/ a pc due to the IT mindset. This is the Apple advantage and it’s just a matter of time. Remember, the Tiger API’s for x86 mean that products will be forwards compatible w/ leopard and that’s all that’s needed (ok that and a new german tank to name the Operating system after in series)
It’s still in beta, but if you really want a groupware system that runs on OS X, check out the Hula project at http://www.hula.org. It has integrated mail, calendaring, and address book, but no I.M.
It’s open-source based on Novell’s NetMail product, so it already has a track record in enterprise environments (lots of universities use it for student email), and it scales well (thousands of users on a single server).
If you join the Hula mailing list, there are a couple of guys there who are already running it in production on OS X.
There’s an install guide at http://www.hula-project.org/Installation_OS_X
In the interest of full disclosure, I work for Novell and have supported NetMail for years, but despite my built-in bias, I think it’s worth a look if you want a good “native” groupware solution running on OS X.