Recommendations

The re-engineering effort has produced several key recommendations, including the following:

• Taking advantage of the messaging infrastructure for groupware applications. The best way to meet cost and functionality objectives is to build groupware applications on a messaging system capable of serving as a mission-critical infrastructure.
• Using distributed information effectively. The company believes it is important to have an information infrastructure that enables it to expand the capabilities of LAN-based messaging systems. This can be accomplished by making the information available where users need it and can interact with it.
• Empowering end users. An organization's messaging system needs to empower end users, making it easy for them to find the information they need and to create applications that enable them to solve business problems.

After conducting a comprehensive review of a variety of products, Fabrikam, Inc. chose Microsoft Exchange Server as its messaging and workgroup platform. In addition to offering strong messaging, connectivity, and administrative capabilities, Microsoft Exchange Server was selected because it includes built-in groupware and supports building additional groupware applications on top of its messaging system, which can handle the mission-critical demands placed upon it.