Dutch Non-profit Housing Association Simplifies GroupWise Mobile Solution
"Other GroupWise PIM Synchronization solutions like NotifyLink, GWAnywhere and Novell's GroupWise Mobile Server require Windows Server and would have added complexities to our GroupWise system."
Overview
Antares Woonservice is a non-profit housing association based in Tegelen, Netherlands. It provides accessible housing and rental properties for families and seniors. Antares Woonservice also manages several housing development projects in the communities of Blerick, Meijel, Tegelen and Venlo.
With over 70 employees, Antares Woonservice depends on Novell GroupWise to deliver its email, calendaring and collaboration suite. Since 2005, however, there has been an increasing need to deliver mobile GroupWise PDA access, both on-line and off-line, for managers and staff working on the road.
The Challenge
"Other GroupWise PIM Synchronization solutions like NotifyLink, GWAnywhere and Novell's GroupWise Mobile Server require Windows Server 2003 and would have added complexities to our GroupWise system," says Rogier Verheijen, Systems Administrator for Antares Woonservice. "Novell's GroupWise Mobile Server, for example, would have required that we upgrade to GroupWise 7 Service Pack 1."
"We were looking for a full GroupWise mobile PDA client that worked with our existing GroupWise installation without any changes. We also wanted a solution that was easy to install and use," continues Verheijen.
"Our managers needed a GroupWise mobile solution that would allow them to not only read and send emails, but also to access their GroupWise address books, multiple and shared folders, calendars, appointments, tasks, notes and email attachments while on the road."
The Solution
After carefully evaluating several GroupWise mobile solutions, Antares Woonservice felt that Omni Mobile delivered the best functionality, total cost of ownership and most user-friendly interface and installation process.
"Omni Mobile is the only GroupWise mobile option that does not require Windows Server 2003 or add complexity to our network," states Verheijen. "We initially heard about Omni Mobile in a web seminar in November 2004, then we participated in their beta testing group in 2005, and finally purchased 20 licences in 2006."
"We are very pleased with our purchase. Omni has been great to work with, and our team really likes Omni Mobile's native GroupWise 'look and feel', ease of installation and overall user experience."
The Results
With Omni Mobile, Antares Woonservice now delivers on-line and off-line GroupWise mobile access to team members who are on the road. Following are other important results:
- Antares Woonservice was able to leverage its existing GroupWise system without being required to introduce any Windows Server 2003 systems or upgrade to the latest version of GroupWise.
- Omni Mobile's familar GroupWise interface has allowed users to become productive right away.
- Administrators are able to provide on-device account provisioning (over-the-air or cradle-based) for mobile GroupWise users.
- More than just "read-only" email functionality, managers now have on-line and off-line access to their full GroupWise account, multiple folders, frequent contacts, GroupWise system address book, calendar, appointments, notes and tasks.
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