Switch Over, Oracle SaysSwitch Over, Oracle Says

Oracle jumped into the groupware market this week with general availability of its Collaboration Suite, which manages E-mail, voice mail, and faxes from within its database. Oracle is urging customers to replace Microsoft Exchange servers with the suite, which is based on its 9i database and application server, Internet File System, and group calendar software from Steltor, which Oracle bought in June.

Companies can retain their Microsoft Outlook E-mail client software and gain the advantages of storing E-mail messages in a SQL-based database, says Oracle VP of marketing Steven Levine. Microsoft is developing a way for Exchange to keep E-mail in a data store based on its SQL Server product, but results of that work probably won't materialize soon. The Oracle Collaboration Suite runs on Solaris, Linux, and HP-UX; versions for Tru64 Unix, AIX, and Windows are in the works. A deployment that supports 5,000 users is priced at about $450,000.