1997 Groupware market projections favor Microsoft Exchange

Business Wire, Dec 16, 1996

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1996--

New workflow solution for Microsoft Exchange shifts groupware market

race; Keyfile ships new Keyflow solution, a leading workflow

software product designed exclusively for Microsoft Exchange Server

Fulfilling a critical component of the Microsoft Exchange Server solution that will enable Microsoft to broaden its competitive advantage in the groupware market, Keyfile Corp. today announced the availability of collaborative workflow software exclusively for Microsoft Exchange Server.

Known as Keyflow for Microsoft Exchange Server, the new solution is shipping immediately.

"The addition of integrated workflow to Microsoft Exchange Server will enable Microsoft to compete head-to-head with established groupware vendors," said Ian Campbell, director of collaborative and Intranet computing for International Data Corp. (IDC), a Framingham, Mass.-based market research firm. "Keyflow is one of the Microsoft silver bullets in the 1997 groupware market race," said Campbell.

"With the addition of Keyflow, Microsoft Exchange Server -- widely recognized as a leading open groupware platform -- has become a highly competitive integrated information management system," according to Roger Sullivan, Keyfile's vice president of marketing. "A high performance workflow solution, Keyflow allows Microsoft Exchange Server users to automate business processes, monitor their progress, modify the processes in real-time and respond immediately to changing process requirements."

By adding greater functionality to Microsoft Exchange Server, Campbell predicts that Microsoft will compete more effectively against Lotus Notes, Novell's GroupWise and Netscape's Navigator.

Furthermore, current and prospective Microsoft Exchange Server users will be more likely to extend their groupware investment across the enterprise, as workflow will be used by knowledge workers and administrators that share and exchange process intensive documents, records and forms.

"Microsoft customers have shown a great deal of interest and enthusiasm for Keyflow for Microsoft Exchange Server," said Steve Ballmer, executive vice president, worldwide sales and support at Microsoft Corp. "Keyfile's solution is a terrific example of our commitment to Microsoft solution developer partners and underscores the growing success of our ISV program."

IDC Market Projections Support WorkFlow Growth

The total groupware market, which reached $2,014 million worldwide in 1995, is projected to grow by 28 percent by the end of 1997, according to IDC. Total groupware revenues will reach $3,318 million in 1997. "A significant portion of that growth will be attributed to the surge of Exchange sales worldwide," said Campbell. Microsoft will capture more than 25 percent of the worldwide LAN integrated collaborative market by the end of 1997. The market for workflow software is also expected to grow by 29 percent by 1998, with Exchange-specific solutions gaining significant momentum over the next two years, according to Campbell.

Beta Site Users Rate Keyflow Outstanding

Keyflow is finishing a three-month beta test at more than 50 Exchange end-user sites worldwide, including Exxon, Mellon Bank, Gucci, Reed Tool, Roadway Packaging Services and Citibank. Beta customers and Microsoft partners have rated Keyflow as outstanding, including Gucci, one of the largest Exchange sites with several thousand users at the company's Geneva, Switzerland headquarters.

"Our business requires a workflow solution which is powerful yet can be adapted with limited effort to the continuously changing competitive environment," said Stefan Heyraud, MIS manager, Serverin Montres SA - Gucci Timepiece. He continued by saying, "The fast implementation of a workflow process, the flexibility of Keyflow, as well as the perfect integration into the Microsoft Exchange Server environment were obvious to us. After less than half a day of training, management quickly became very enthusiastic about the ability to graphically track the status of flows across the organization."

Keyflow's current and prospective customer base comprises a variety of industries -- engineering, manufacturing, banking, investment management, insurance and government. "Process-intensive industries need Keyflow to capture, control and move information in an orderly, efficient process to make decisions quickly," said Sullivan.

For example, purchase order processing and approval at large organizations is often paper and process intensive, involving a long approval cycle and several forms. Keyflow allows companies to automate business activities such as purchasing, engineering change order management, underwriting, loan origination, ISO 9000 and case management. These applications can be institutionalized across the enterprise using Microsoft Exchange Server folders, which in turn, hastens approval cycles and ensures that employees are following proper sign-off procedures.

Praise from Keyfile Solution Providers

Microsoft Partners and Solution Providers will be able to market more sophisticated, higher-end Microsoft Exchange Server and BackOffice solutions for medium and large sites.