Email Vendor Demo Agendas


As you may have read in the Spring UVM IT Newsletter, UVM is developing a request for proposals for an email system.  (And perhaps more.  One might say "personal organization and communications – dominated by electronic mail and calendaring".)  To help us better understand options prior to issuing the RFP, vendors are coming to campus to show us what great things they each can do.  (This isn't necessarily the same vendors who'll receive the RFP.)  The following vendors are confirmed:

Thu. April 15 . . . Mirapoint http://mirapoint.com/

Bailey-Howe dean's conference room
1 - 2 pm    End-user demo
2 - 3:30 pm Technical session

Fri. April 16 . . . Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/education/

Bailey-Howe dean's conference room
  9 - 10 am     End-user demo
 10 - 11:30 am Technical session

Wed. April 28 . . . Oracle   http://otn.oracle.com/products/cs/index.html

Bailey-Howe dean's conference room
 9 - 10 am     End-user demo
  10 - 11:30 am Technical session

Thu. May 6  . . . Sendmail http://sendmail.com/products/mailcenter_pop.shtml

Bailey-Howe dean's conference room

  12:30 - 1:30 pm    End-user demo
  1:45 - 3:00 pm Technical session

Thu. May 13 . . . Apple  http://www.apple.com/  * * Cancelled * *

Apple's presentation has been cancelled, since their approach is to sell the hardware and operating system (Xserve) on which to run  Stalker's CommuniGate Pro suite.  The hardware and OS decision will be made after choosing the applications.   

Tue. May 18. . . IBM http://www.ibm.com/

Bailey-Howe dean's conference room
1 - 2 pm    End-user demo
2:15 - 3:30 pm Technical session

Each vendor will present two sessions: one covering the use of their products from a largely nontechnical perspective, and a second session that will address the concerns and questions of information technology personnel. 

Email User Session

One Hour

 POP & IMAP client support

 Web client capabilities, requirements, performance

 Address book management, OS integration, portability (on server or client?)

 Unified messaging

 Email response systems

 Instant messaging integration

 Built-in security
     virus protection

 Spam management facilities

 Open-ended end-user filters (rules); on server or client?

 Email list management features

 PDA and other mobile device support

 Back-up and user initiated file/message/mailbox restoration, password changes, any other end-user account management

 Calendaring, group scheduling, to-do list features

 File services

 Portal features and portal integration

 Other collaboration tools and features

 Market share
      - especially in higher education and other similar environments
      - what other, comparable higher education institutions are using your product?


Technical Session

One hour and a half

Please provide additional technical details covering topics from the end-user session, and address the following.

 Fit in our existing environment
     common POP & IMAP client support
     server support
     proprietary or open interfaces?  Standards compliance and deviation

 Capacity
     email volume (x million messages per day?)
     storage capacity and technologies supported or recommended
     "scalability"

 Performance and reliability track record

 System and account administration walk-through

 Authentication -- does it require separate infrastructure and support?

 Vendor and other support; peer networks

 Transitional costs
     education for support and end users
     hardware and software requirements
     hardware & software purchases + any special arrangements with AV, Spam, email client vendors
     conversion (existing mail, folders, address books, etc.)

 Ongoing costs
     software licensing, maintenance & upgrades
     hardware
     server support staffing costs
     end user support staffing costs