Workgroup and Messaging Case Studies, Bynari Insight Server

Bynari Insight Server is based on the well-known components of Exim (email exchanger), Cyrus (mailbox server) and Open LDAP (directory services), all of which have been extensively deployed both alone and bundled together. These have been agumented by documentation, migration tools and workgroup software. The bundle is not free-of-charge software and is sold by Bynari with various licensing and support options.

At the time of writing Bynari Insight Server coupled with Bynari InsightConnector is one of the few products which is able to offer MAPI support for Microsoft Outlook, providing close to plug-compatible replacement of Microsoft Exchange Server. The InsightConnector needn't be used with the Insight Server product, instead it allows any suitable IMAP server to be used as a repository for Outlook shared data.

The following 'case study' is taken from IBM's website; IBM seem to pushing Insight hard on their Z-series (mainframes). The original can be found here. Somebody should take IBM to one side and explain the difference between a press release and a case study.

Case Study

"Most companies value e-mail as an essential tool for conducting a winning business. However, the cost of providing employees with e-mail can add up quickly, especially when you include the cost of operating and managing a group of e-mail servers.

For example, when Winnebago Industries decided it needed to upgrade its e-mail system, it suddenly faced an estimated US$100,000 price tag. It didn't take long for the savvy recreational vehicle manufacturer to realize that the estimated price to upgrade was too high. The company needed a cost effective solution that could alleviate the scheduling, calendaring and attachment corruption problems it was experiencing with its existing system. It was also important that the new solution minimally impact the existing e-mail users.

Winnebago Industries found a solution meeting all of these criteria and more, including a potentially huge cost savings. The potential for significant savings and other benefits of a Linux technology-based e-mail system running on an IBM eServer zSeries platform convinced the company to replace its Intel processor-based servers running Novell NetWare and Microsoft Mail with the zSeries mainframe running SuSE Linux 7.0 and Bynari software.

The zSeries, Linux and Bynari solution not only solved Winnebago Industries' specific e-mail, calendaring and corruption problems, but it will also allow the company to consolidate multiple applications and servers onto one reliable enterprise server. And Bynari's software running on an IBM mainframe does more than simply enable the company's e-mail users to benefit using their existing Microsoft Outlook e-mail client; it provides a robust e-mail solution at one-third the cost of other solutions."

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