http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/boes/bo/mailexch/mail/prodfact/maileval.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
| Updated: March 14, 1996 |  Go To TechNet Home Page |
An effective electronic mail system can do more than just send messages back and forth. It can provide a firm foundation for enterprise-wide communication as well as provide a strategic platform that helps workgroups create, manipulate, and review information as a team. In short it can help users reach anyone, anywhere.
Choosing an e-mail system requires more than simply counting features. It requires an evaluation of how those features will work for your organization, how easily the system can be installed in your organization, how well it works with the applications and systems you already have, and whether it leaves the door open to future developments in technology. The major areas to consider include:
Ease Of Administration
An enterprise-wide messaging network can involve thousands of users and hundreds of thousands of messages every day. While that sounds like a massive system to administrate, an efficient e-mail system provides tools that simplify the administrator's job:
The first thing to consider here is what comes in the package. Does it include everything you need to install and administer the system, or does it require additional products? What is the procedure for adding additional users or groups of users? Do desktop license packs cover more than one platform or do you need to purchase a separate license pack for each platform if you operate on a mix of Microsoftr WindowsT, MS-DOSr, Macintoshr, and OS/2r operating systems?
Directory Administration and Maintenance
While the administrator sets the global parameters for the system, some systems maintain directory security but still allow users to add addresses as needed. A system that implements directory synchronization automatically keeps the directory up to date. It is also helpful to be able to handle gateway and related directory administration from within the same program rather than having to access a separate shell for each.
Additional administrative features that can lighten the administrative load while ensuring reliable communications include the ability to:
Message Administration
Efficiently managing file and message storage is critical to keeping the system running smoothly. Helpful administrative functions to look for here include the ability to:
Reliable message delivery is vital to the effectiveness of an e-mail system. The system should provide reports that track both the performance and cost of the system. The basic administrative reports to look for include:
Directory Security/Reliability
Directory security is a balancing act. On one hand you want to protect your organizational directory. On the other, you want users to be able to reach the people with whom they need to communicate. While it is important for all users to be able to exchange mail, it is not necessary for all of them to be able to exchange directories.
Some e-mail systems tie the two functions together, which allows every connected server to have access to a directory. That can allow more user access to directories than you want.
To maintain a secure and fault-tolerant exchange of directory information there should be a mechanism in the system to ensure that downstream mail servers receive directory changes correctly and that the admin-istrator is notified if changes are lost or misrouted.
Scalability
Scalability is as important as usability in deciding on a LAN-based e-mail system. Decision makers need to know that the system can efficiently and cost-effectively handle today's needs and grow as your organization grows. It is also important to understand how an e-mail system can help to manage that growth to take some of the burden off administrators. To determine the scalability of an e-mail system, you should look for:
Directory Scalability
The first question to ask is what type of directory maintenance the system provides. There are two basic types-directory synchronization and directory propagation. The difference between these two types can have a significant impact on the reliability and timeliness of updates and on the amount of directory maintenance time required of the administrator.
Synchronization is a transaction-based procedure for bringing directories up to date within a system. At each transaction in the system there is a specific initiation and acknowledgment step by the processes involved. This enables the mail system to detect when and if the synchronization process fails and to request the appropriate transactions be reapplied to a mail server. Synchronization has two benefits that work together to reduce mail traffic:
Microsoft Mail includes automatic directory synchronization with the mail server, which:
Propagation
Propagation is the passive process of sending directory updates to all other postoffices as they occur. Each postoffice participating in propagation must send and receive the messages from all the servers involved. Also, in many systems, propagation occurs without a check to be sure each directory message was received and processed. More messages means more traffic and a greater chance of failure.
Other directory services to consider include:
Whether you're migrating from a host-based e-mail system to a LAN-based e-mail system or supplementing your existing system with LAN-based e-mail, you most likely have a significant investment in existing systems. Any e-mail system you consider should allow those existing systems to coexist efficiently and offer you an easy migration path.
Here you should look for a system with an open architecture that can work with a variety of host-based and LAN-based systems, on a variety of platforms. This can leverage your existing product investment as well as reduce training costs. The more transparent the change is to the end user, the more efficient and usable the system will be.
Microsoft Mail for PC Networks version 3.2 offers the first Windows-based client that works as a front end for other e-mail systems. Drivers for the following mail systems are currently available:
The benefits of such an architecture include:
Open Messaging Platform
An electronic mail system should do more than just provide you with a series of functions for sending and receiving mail. It should provide an open messaging platform that will allow you to develop your own specific messaging programs. Additionally, there should be a wide choice of third-party applications available off the shelf, which indicates industry acceptance.
In consultation with independent software vendors and industry consultants, Microsoft created the messaging application programming interface (MAPI). This interface offers Microsoft Mail users the following benefits:
For true enterprise-wide connectivity users should be able to communicate with people on different electronic mail systems and on remote workstations. The more transparent the process, the better. Users should not have to be concerned with which network or e-mail system a recipient is on, or be burdened with complex addressing to reach external e-mail users. Also, this connectivity should leverage the existing messaging infrastructure and deliver feature-rich messages-complete with embedded objects such as graphics and audio recordings-over host backbones.
Gateways
Gateways are one way in which a new LAN-based e-mail system can leverage your current investment in messaging systems and provide a smooth migration path from older technology. You should consider the quality of connectivity along with the quantity of gateways available. You should also consider whether the gateway is provided by the same vendor as the e-mail system or whether it is a third-party product. Gateways supplied by the same vendor as the mail system can be more feature-rich and more capable of mission-critical implementations.
For example, Microsoft provides single-vendor support for most gateways, which:
Remote Access
As the work environment expands beyond office walls, so do your e-mail needs. Remote e-mail users must be able to work off the network as easily as when connected. Features you should look for here include the platforms on which remote access is supported and whether you can:
Maximizing Resources
As a company's e-mail system grows, so can the number of PCs required to operate the system. Because most LAN-based mail systems use an MS-DOS-based Message Transfer Agent to transfer mail from one post-office to another, large installations often require many PCs to route mail.
A question to ask here is whether the mail system uses a single or multitasking MTA. A multitasking MTA allows multiple MTA sessions to run at the same time and substantially reduces the number of machines needed to route mail.
The Usability Factor: Will Users Use It?
The ultimate test of any e-mail system is how much it is used. If users feel comfortable using it, and it makes them more productive, then it is worth the investment. If users find it difficult or cumbersome to use, they will avoid it whenever possible.
One of the key ways to make an e-mail system more usable is by providing an intuitive user interface. For example, using icons on the user interface to expose the most common user activities, rather than forcing users to type complex menu commands, can speed learning and usage. However, the icons must be there for a good reason. Too many icons or irrelevant icons can make the interface busy, confusing, and more difficult for the user to navigate.
An e-mail system that takes advantage of and is consistent with the Windows environment offers an easier interface, new multimedia capabilities, improved data exchange, the ability to switch among applications, and multitasking. While an electronic mail system should support all your desktop operating systems, it is important that it take full advantage of the Windows computing environment.
Shortening The Learning Curve
Making the system easy to use is a number one priority if you want to encourage users to use it. It needs to be intuitive, and the more familiar the interface the better. Most systems include learning aids such as an online tutorial, and context-sensitive Help.
In order to make any transition as transparent to the user as possible, Microsoft Mail also features:
This is where e-mail users are won or lost. No matter how many sophisticated features a system has, its success lies with the ability of users to compose and send messages easily.
Basic Mail Attributes
The first thing to look for is support for multiple addressing types, for example, To: and Cc:. It is also helpful for users to be able to add addresses as they work, rather than having to wait for the administrator. And it is important that the system allow users within a workgroup to share valuable information by creating Shared Folders for specific projects or topics.
Message editing and the ability to easily send attachments that can be quickly opened and read by the recipient are important to improving productivity and encouraging use of an e-mail system. Advanced features, such as the ability to send embedded objects (charts, graphs, spreadsheets), as opposed to file attachments, can save considerable time and frustration at the desktop. Other message-editing functions to look for include:
Attaching a file or object to an e-mail message is the fastest way to route information to a workgroup. It is even more efficient to actually incorporate file attachments and OLE objects right into the text of the message. The user can then launch the application by clicking on the attachment icon from within the text. In evaluating this aspect of a system, you should make sure that any viewer or attachment launcher works consistently with the standard software packages that your company uses. A good viewer will allow your users to view, scan, and print files created in applications that message receivers may not use, or applications that may not even exist on their platform.
It is important for the e-mail system to also support:
Microsoft Mail Special Edition includes an attachment-viewing add-on product that allows users to view, print, edit, and copy any file in more than 150 file formats from within their Microsoft Mail system.
Message addressing and directory access
Addressing messages should be the least of a user's worries. Users should be able to use partial or familiar names in the address and easily browse global and personal directories to find the addresses they're looking for. It is also helpful to be able to:
In addition, Microsoft Mail includes several unique features that make addressing and directory maintenance more efficient for both end users and administrators by allowing users to:
One of the big advantages of e-mail is that it gives users the ability to review, respond to, file, and discard incoming messages quickly. Common functions to look for here are the ability to quickly and easily display messages by summaries, subjects, sender names, and date received, as well as noting priority and enclosure flags. The ability to delete multiple messages can also save users time in cleaning out their inboxes. Most systems also sort in ascending and descending order and by date received.
Your mail system should also support more advanced features that some of your users may require. Two of the most commonly requested additional functions are rules-based filtering and out-of-office message handling. Rules-based filtering allows users to organize and prioritize their incoming messages using a set of rules filters. For example, a user could automatically sort incoming messages into specific folders based upon the subject field of the message. Out-of-office features automatically sort messages and forward them to the appropriate destination while the user is out of the office.
Message management
Storing and retrieving electronic messages should be as quick and intuitive as sending them. The fewer layers the user has to navigate the better. Some of the basic management capabilities to look for include the ability to:
Additional message management capabilities to look for include the ability to:
Microsoft Mail version 3.2 provides additional mail-handling features designed to allow users to receive and respond to their mail even faster. Those features include the ability to:
Microsoft Mail Special Edition includes three third-party add-on products that enable users to:
Some final details
E-mail is fast becoming more than a way to route electronic notes. It is becoming a mission-critical medium of communication-an infrastructure for workgroup applications-that makes it easier for people to work together.
Providing that infrastructure requires an open, flexible system that gives you the freedom to leverage your existing investments-in hardware, software, data, and user knowledge-as you build workgroup solutions that meet your specific needs. To determine whether a system is open enough to work with existing systems, you should ask:
Microsoft is committed to providing an open workgroup development platform that allows each organization to create the best solution for its specific needs. In Microsoft Mail that is achieved by:
Look at the big picture
In evaluating an e-mail system vendor you should consider more than just a vendor's LAN-based e-mail experience. You should also look at the vendor's experience in operating systems, network operating systems, and application development tools, because those products lie at the heart of an efficient e-mail system.
Choosing an e-mail system is an important strategic decision, just like choosing a new network or phone system. If you end up with a system that is obsolete, difficult to integrate or expand, or just too complicated, you will find it very expensive to make a change. On the other hand, a system that is easy to use and administer, is scalable, is open enough to work on multiple platforms, and allows you to use your existing systems, can enhance productivity, communication, and prove as indispensable as the telephone.
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