Email, Calendar and Collaboration Tools
 
Vendor Demo Scenarios

I. Calendar Features

1. Exchange and Outlook interoperability
   
   
1. Ability to schedule meetings with users of Exchange calendars (across calendar systems: the vendor's proposed system and Exchange)
   
   
1. What software do clients use? (Outlook, Entourage, another client?)
   
   
2. How are free and busy time handled across systems?
   
   
1. See free and busy?
2. Real-time or periodically "published" from one system to the other?
   
   
2. Ability to use Outlook 2003 and Entourage 2004 to schedule meetings with vendor's product
   
   
3. Accept or reject meeting from meeting notice in Outlook
   
   
4. Active Directory
   
   
1. considerations
2. requirements
3. distributed account administration
   
   
2. Proxy/designee agenda management (e.g. administrative assistant manages executive's schedule)
   
   
1. Is this role-based, or individually defined?
   
   
2. How choose users to have rights?
   
   
3. How assign or use roles?
   
   
4. What actions and privileges can vary by person or by role?
   
   
5. Accept or reject meetings
   
   
6. Who sets this up and controls it -- user or administrator?
   
   
3. Meetings
   
   
1. Private appointments 
   
   
1. Demonstrate privacy options for meetings (e.g., private, confidential, normal, and
   public), and controlling who has viewing and updating rights for each of the levels
   
   
2. Who can add meeting to one's calendar?
   
   
3. Use of groups, distribution lists, and who defines and manges the groups/lists
   
   
1. what rights does group have to calendars, folders, etc.?
   
   
4. Add attendees to meeting you didn't create?
   
   
5. How accept or reject meetings -- do by clicking field in the meeting notice?
   
   
6. See who has accepted or rejected invitation
   
   
4. Self-service account management (see email section)
   
   
5. See all users' free and busy time
   
   
6. Group calendars
   
   
1. Show examples
   
   
2. rights that can be granted; how
   
   
3. subscribing to calendars
   
   
7. Resources
   
   
1. Resource calendars
   
   
2. responsible people designated -- rights and responsibilities
   
   
3. Approval possible?  Required?  (and how to specify the rules)
   
   
4. Types of resources supported (rooms, vehicles, projectors, teams, ...)
   
   
8. Reminders
   
   
9. Directory
   
   
1. Account creation and removal
   
   
2. Ability to grant and revoke individual services, e.g. email but no calendar
   
   
10. Show use with:
    
    
1. Palm OS PDA
   
   
2. Pocket-PC PDA
   
   
3. Blackberry
   
   
4. Web-enabled cell phone; cell phone without Web (e.g., built-in calendar on LG and other phones)
   
   
5. Synchronization -- how?
   
   
1. via workstation with or without vendor's calendar client software
2. directly from PDA to server; how connected (WiFi, cellular, etc.)
   
   
11. Comparison of Web client and dedicated (fat) client(s)
    
    
1. How are they the same?
   
   
2. How do they differ?
   
   
3. Demonstrate any differences in function or appearance
   
   
1. with different Web browsers
2. with and without Active X, Java, JavaScript, Cookies, Pop-up blocking
   
   
12. Portal integration

II. Email Features

1. Address Book Features
   
   
1. Importing & Exporting
   
   
1. Between supported  clients (including Web to/from/among dedicated clients)
   
   
2. lookup
   
   
1. from UVM directory (LDAP or AD)
2. from address book, other sources
   
   
3. Portability
   
   
4. Sharing entries, especially groups of addresses
   
   
2. Web Email Interface 
   
   
1. Full tour of features
   
   
2. Using external accounts
   
   
3. Differences between web email interface and dedicated clients
   
   
4. Search capabilities
   
   
5. Integration with functions listed under "Self-service account management"
   
   
6. Browser support -- demonstrate any differences in function or appearance
   
   
1. with different Web browsers
2. with and without Active X, Java, JavaScript, Cookies, Pop-up blocking
   
   
3. Email Clients
   
   
1. The University of Vermont has installed several email clients throughout its campus, including Eudora, Thunderbird, Outlook Express, Outlook and Entourage (Mac).  Although we would like to converge on one client in the future, the proposed system must offer full support, with excellent performance and reliability, for existing clients. The Email Committee would like to verify functionality of clients on those platforms that offer third party client support.  Please be prepared to demonstrate a functioning client for each of the five clients listed below (latest releases).  This demonstration should be directed at client features and not necessarily a technical demonstration.  Please make certain to demonstrate clients utilizing IMAP4, POP3, and SMTP .
   
   
1. Eudora
   
2. Entourage
3. Outlook Express
4. Outlook
5. Thunderbird
   
   
2. If a vendor has a preference for a client please provide reasons for the preference.  If a client is not recommended please provide reasons and/or potential work-around for any issues.  Vendors that require/provide their own client should present it also.
   
   
3. Handling attachments: Please be prepared to demonstrate handling of attachments (ability to edit attachments with/without saving, ability to save/forward, large file restrictions, etc)
    
   
4. Use with mobile devices
   
   
1. Overview of support for
   
   
1. Palm OS PDA
2. Pocket-PC PDA
3. Blackberry
4. Web-enabled cell phone
   
   
2. Set up a e-mail on a Palm, Pocket-PC (e.g., IPAQ) or Blackberry PDA
   
   
   1. If there is a client involved on the handheld and or workstation, go through the process of installing the client of both the PDA and the workstation.
   2. Then go through the process of syncing the two devices, show that both contain the same e-mails with time and date stamps.
   3. Discuss / demonstrate how attachments are handled. (i.e. Are they available only on the workstation, or if also on the PDA, is there a size limitation?)
      
      
3. For cell phones, if Web enabled
   
   
   1. If necessary, demonstrate the process of downloading the software to set up mail on a cell phone.
   2. Demonstrate receiving an e-mail, and then show that, that same e-mail is also available on a Web-mail or client system.
   3. Discuss / demonstrate how attachments are handled on the cell phone.
   
   
   
5. Other features
   
   
1. Shared inbox
   
   
1. e.g. Help Line, several individuals answering department Email.
2. Demonstrate how several users can access a shared Inbox. 
   
3. If someone answers a message from a shared Inbox, is it removed or is this an option?
   
   
2. Shared mailboxes/folders other than inbox
   
   
1. e.g. committee members sharing a "project" folder
2. Demonstrate several users accessing a shared folder. 
   
3. Who determines which users can access a  shared folder?
   
   
3. Proxy/designee email management
   
   
1. e.g. administrative assistant categorizes executive's email and may respond, file, flag, or forward
2. Is this role-based, or individually defined?
3. Demonstrate the ability to designate proxies for some or all Email folders. 
4. Can the owner designate proxies or is this an administrative privilege? 
5. Can the owner (or administrator) limit the actions a proxy can perform  (e.g. Respond, transfer to a folder, forward ... )
   
   
4. Quotas
   
   
1. Demonstrate how quotas are enforced. 
   
2. Do quotas apply to the Inbox only or to all folders.
   
3. Demonstrate quota "warnings". 
   
4. What happens when a user is near his/her quota? 
   
5. If a user exceeds his/her quota, can they still send mail, access folders, etc. 
   
6. What happens to Emails received while a quota is exceeded?  Are they lost or will they be delivered once the user is below his/her quota?
   
   
5. Self-service account management
   
   
1. Demonstrate how passwords are reset. 
   
2. What happens if a password is forgotten?
   
3. automatic forwarding: Demonstrate the ability to forward all Email from one account to another.
   
4. autoresponse: Demonstrate initiating an auto response ("away" message).
   
   
6. spam detection, filtering, management, system training
   
   
1. Demonstrate spam filtering. 
   
   
1. How does Spam filtering interact with things like auto response.  e.g. would  a Spam Email receive an auto response? 
   
   
2. Demonstrate how Spam criteria are determined. 
   
   
1. Can an individuals specify Spam criteria?  e.g. Emails from a specified sender are to be considered Spam.
   
   
7. virus handling
   
   
1. Demonstrate virus handling capabilities. 
   
   
2. How are Emails containing viruses handled? 
   
   
1. Are they deleted, guaranteed or stripped of attachments containing viruses? 
   
2. Can individual users determine what actions are taken?
   
   
8. rules and filters
   
1. Demonstrate filtering options. 
2. Do filters allow more than on action, e.g. respond, transfer, forward?


6. Integration with other functions from same vendor & 3rd parties
   
   
1. Portal integration 
   

III. Collaboration Features

1. Instant messaging
   
   
2. Document management and collaboration
   
   
3. Group communication, such as email lists and Usenet news
   
   
4. Online conferencing