Abstract

Grow Up! LAN-Based E-Mail Applications

This November 1994 Data Communications lab test, conducted by Kevin Tolly of The Tolly Group and David Newman of Data Communications, evaluated whether LAN-based e-mail systems had matured from simple departmental messaging tools into enterprise communications platforms. The article examined four products: Banyan Systems’ BeyondMail, Lotus Development’s cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, and WordPerfect/Novell GroupWise. The focus was not merely whether users could send and receive messages, but whether the products could support distributed post offices, enterprise directory services, remote users, mobile users, message transfer agents, gateways, and wide-area network traffic.

The test environment simulated a multi-office enterprise with separate post offices connected across LAN and WAN links. The lab evaluated administrative control, directory synchronization, message routing, remote-office behavior, dial-up/mobile support, error reporting, gateway support, security, compression, and the ability to handle normal and problem message flows. The test also examined how each package dealt with message transfer agents, whether managers could monitor traffic, and how well the products handled scheduled or automated message delivery.

Lotus Development’s cc:Mail received a Data Communications “Tester’s Choice” designation. The article noted that cc:Mail was widely deployed, relatively mature, and a strong choice for typical corporate e-mail environments. It offered broad platform support, extensive gateway options, and practical administration tools. However, the lab also found that some enterprise-management functions remained limited, especially when compared with newer products designed around directory integration and groupware.

WordPerfect/Novell GroupWise was highlighted as a strong option for organizations committed to Novell environments. Its close integration with NetWare Directory Services, support for post-office administration, and broader groupware orientation gave it advantages for sites standardizing around Novell infrastructure. The article noted that GroupWise could manage distributed messaging and directory information effectively, although its strengths were most compelling for organizations already invested in NetWare and Novell’s broader application strategy.

Banyan BeyondMail benefited from integration with Banyan’s StreetTalk directory and Vines networking environment. The test found that this directory-centric approach could simplify management in Banyan networks, but the product’s appeal was narrower outside that installed base. Microsoft Mail for PC Networks was important because of Microsoft’s desktop presence and its role in Windows-based messaging, but the lab found that the product still faced limitations in enterprise-scale administration, directory handling, and advanced messaging features.

Overall, the article concluded that LAN-based e-mail systems had become more than simple messaging tools, but that the category was still evolving toward full enterprise messaging. The strongest products could support multiple post offices, remote access, gateways, and wide-area messaging, but none solved every problem cleanly. Enterprise buyers needed to evaluate not just the user interface, but also directory architecture, WAN behavior, administrative control, gateway availability, mobile-user support, and the ability to scale beyond departmental deployments.

Solutions Tested

Banyan Systems — BeyondMail
Lotus Development — cc:Mail
Microsoft — Microsoft Mail for PC Networks
WordPerfect/Novell — GroupWise