Lotus Notes is one of the oldest desktop-based email management applications. In 1989, Lotus Notes was launched to provide the best user experience for managing emails. Since then, several versions of the program have been launched, and all are performing well. Office 365 is a server-based file management system launched much later than Lotus Notes in 2011. Now, it gives tough competition to Lotus Notes and other applications for features and file organization. Small to large businesses have shown their trust in email clients.
IBM Lotus Notes was popular between the late 90s and early 2000s. Gradually, the popularity of the app has been impacted. After the launch of cloud platforms, several users of Lotus Notes have switched to Office 365 and other cloud platforms. Lotus Notes is now owned by HCL, a leading Indian tech brand.
HCL Notes Vs Office 365
However, Office 365 and HCL Notes serve the same goals and are well-suitable for enterprise-level operations. There is always one doubt about which is better for meeting the business needs. In this blog, we learn which email management tools are suitable for you.
Deployment: On-Premises Vs Cloud
HCL Notes and MS Office 365 offer a collaborative workspace to companies. However, Office 365 is a complete cloud-based service available on monthly or annual subscriptions. According to requirements, plans have categorized Office 365. The more you pay, the more features you will get for Office 365.
On the other hand, HCL Notes is an on-premises email server. Organizations using HCL Notes need to administer, deploy and maintain the server. Thus, the cost of maintenance increases. It requires additional manpower, and the setup cost can be expensive. There was a plan to convert Lotus Notes from an on premise email server to a cloud-based email server. Thus, an organization that need to utilize HCL Notes require to deploy, administer, and manage the server.
User Interface
Office 365 integrates with MS Outlook, which is an easy-to-use application. Users can easily understand the functions of Office 365. Users have options to customize the look and feel of the tool with add-ins to provide the best user experience.
HCL Notes is nothing less than Office 365 in appearance and interface. The application offers a rich and improved interface to enrich the user experience. However, HCL is working to improve the Notes experience for users. It is still under development.
Also Read- How to backup of Office 365
Flexibility to Users
MS Office comes with a bundle of advantages to offices by offering them to work on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications. Users can access their emails from anywhere and on any device/
With HCL Notes, it is easy to manage emails, notes, contacts, events, and journals, but it doesn’t give the flexibility to open data on any device. Users need to carry their laptops integrated with HCL Notes everywhere to access emails and other properties.
Mailbox Security
HCL Domino Server saves emails in a NoSQL database. It is an advanced technology to store multiple emails and is flexible, manageable, and secure. However, users must have technical skills to run Domino Server. HCL Notes stores the local databases in an NSF file format. It requires users to secure the files from unauthorized access.
Office 365 has built-in real-time protection features against unauthorized access. At the same time, it gives users relief from data safety if the system has an error because it stores data in the cloud. Microsoft is responsible for the management of files.
Outlook creates OST files to save data locally. These files are vulnerable to corruption if the system has any error or Outlook is slow or bugs.
Storage
Since HCL Notes/Domino is an on-premises mailbox server, the admin department is responsible for upgrading the hard drive to increase the storage capacity. Data storage can cause trouble if the admin is careless about upgrading storage.
Office 365 initial plan offers enough data storage to users. They can increase the storage limit by upgrading the plan. The admin department is not liable for increasing the storage limit manually. The team will concentrate on upgrading the plan according to requirements. The default limit of Office 365 is 50 GB. It can increase to 100 GB.
Conversion from HCL Notes to Office 365
The market offers a range of applications to convert HCL Notes to Office 365. You can choose a professional utility like Softaken Lotus Notes nsf to Outlook pst Converter to Convert Lotus Notes data into Outlook 365. The conversion tool is available with multiple salient features to make the conversion goal easy and safe for users.
Below are some salient features of HCL Notes to Office 365
- The conversion tool exports Lotus Notes to MS Office 365 without losing single property. It means the conversion app exports emails, notes, contacts, messages, and events of NSF files to Office 365 completely to provide the best user experience.
- Bulk conversion is a prominent feature of the app. It exports single or multiple NSF files to Office 365 without losing quality. Bulk conversion doesn’t modify the structure and data accuracy.
- The migration utility exports NSF emails with attachments. It exports all NSF folders and maintains the email hierarchy. The app exports all email attributes like CC, BCC, To, From, and email body.
- During the migration NSF to Office 365, the app needs Lotus Notes and valid Office account credentials like name and password to connect with the account automatically.
The interface of the app is interactive. It doesn’t need technical competency to run because the app holds four primary steps for conversion.
Conclusion
If you want to switch from Lotus Notes to Office 365, you can consider a third-party conversion utility. The conversion goal is easy to achieve with the help of the application. The app is easy to handle and converts data at a fast speed.