Netscape and the Suite Scene

In the beginning, there was Microsoft's BackOffice. It was a clearlydefined, well-focused suite of server-based programs designed to delivercritical IS functions: file-and-print services (Windows NT Server), databasehandling (SQL Server), systems management (Systems Management Server--SMS),electronic mail (Mail), and System Network Architecture connectivity (SNAServer). At BackOffice's inception, no other server-based suites were on themarket, nor were serious NT-based competitors available for any of the suite'sindividual products. Microsoft looked at BackOffice, looked at the market, andsaid, "This is good."

Of course, the definition of the BackOffice suite drifted out of focusalmost as soon as it was released. One critical component--Exchange--did not getinto the early suite packaging and was grafted onto BackOffice later. Then, justas the suite's outlines sharpened, the Internet craze hit the industry, andsuddenly the market demanded Web solutions. In response, Microsoft developedInternet Information Server (IIS) and jammed it into the bulging frame of theBackOffice suite.

When demand for Internet/intranet technology increased, Microsoft respondedby developing even more Internet/intranet solutions. As a result, the BackOfficesuite continues to grow, so it can encompass Web-based technology such asfull-text searching, indexing, Web page replication, and proxy serving. Even asyou read this, Microsoft is continuing to pump out Internet/intranet productsthat inevitably end up in--that's right, you guessed it--the BackOffice suite.

You can draw several conclusions from this history of the BackOffice suite.For example, you can conclude that Microsoft has been quick to adapt to andaddress the demands of the computer industry. You can also conclude that thecontents of the BackOffice suite have been a moving target since day one andwill likely remain a moving target for the foreseeable future. Moreinterestingly, you can conclude that BackOffice has moved from being simply aset of traditional IS services to being a set of Internet/intranet services thathappen to include traditional IS services. This shift is fairly significant overa relatively short time.

The Netscape View
Now let's look at Netscape SuiteSpot, a suite that headed in the otherdirection--from the Internet/intranet environment to the traditional ISenvironment. The cornerstone of Netscape's suite is its highly respectable,highly reliable Web server product, Enterprise Server. So whereas Microsoftbuilt its initial suite around NT Server, Netscape built its suite aroundEnterprise Server, adding the capabilities of server-side programming (LiveWirePro), electronic mail (Mail Server), newsgroup handling (News Server), proxy andreplication services (Proxy Server), and full-text indexing and searching(Catalog Server). Although Netscape's suite does not provide a separate,standalone database product (like SQL Server), SuiteSpot does includethe Informix Online database and hooks to interface with Oracle, Sybase, andIllustra databases.

SuiteSpot reached the market in the summer of 1996, and since then Netscapehas continued to revise the suite's contents, just as Microsoft hascontinued to revise the contents of BackOffice. The most recent additions toSuiteSpot are the Directory Server and Certificate Server. The Directory Serverimplements an online database of company and personal information (names, phonenumbers, email addresses, contact information, etc.). The Certificate Serverlets you create, issue, and manage public-key certificates for improvedsecurity. So in many ways, SuiteSpot is as much a moving target as BackOffice.

Netscape is planning additional enhancements to SuiteSpot in 1997. Both theEnterprise Server and Proxy Server are undergoing revision, and as you mightsuspect, Netscape is adding new modules to the suite. At present, Netscape plansto introduce Messaging Server, for standards-based messaging, Collabra Server,for workgroup-based discussion and information sharing, Calendar Server, formanaging meetings and calendars online, and Media Server, for deliveringhigh-quality audio. As you can see from this trend, Netscape is trying to pushthe suite in the direction of corporate-oriented Internet/intranet technology.

In fact, if you step back and look at the Netscape and Microsoft suitesfrom a distance, you can see that Netscape started with the Internet/intranetfunctions that Microsoft is striving to develop and release today. Microsoftstarted with traditional IS functions that Netscape is now trying to inject intoits suite. Both suites are running from opposite ends of the same track,probably destined for a head-on collision in the market sometime in 1997.

Point of Entry
Although I could fill page after page arguing how both BackOffice andSuiteSpot are similar in intent and can address the same set of data processingproblems, the simple fact is that your view of these suites is very much coloredby your own orientation. If you come from a traditional IS environment, youprobably see BackOffice as a friendly, familiar suite of tools and programs.Conversely, if you come from the Internet/intranet environment, you probablyfind comfort in Netscape's Internet-proven approach to computing.

Over time, you can expect your perspective to change. One influence will bethe growing overlap between the Microsoft and Netscape suites as they continueto pick up similar functions. Sooner or later, differentiating the two suiteswill be really difficult. Another significant influence will be the storiesyou'll hear of companies deploying exciting and successful solutions based oneach suite. The bottom line is that NT is a fast-paced evolving market, and allyou can count on is change. No wonder both suites are such moving targets.