Are not you enjoying your current email application Lotus Notes? Are you planning to switch to a new email application? How about using Microsoft Outlook this time? It is the best email application around, there is nothing else comparable. In this article, we are going to discuss how Microsoft Outlook is better than Lotus Notes and why organizations need Lotus Notes to Outlook migration.
Have you ever thought why most of the email users prefer Microsoft Outlook? There are various email clients available in the online marketplace. Then why only Microsoft Outlook? The reason being is that Microsoft Outlook is one of the best email applications. It is not just an email application, it is more than that. It has great features that may not available in other email applications. Home users always prefer Microsoft Outlook when it comes to choosing a desktop email application. Even they prefer Outlook over any other email application at work.
Lotus Notes and Outlook are the two most popular email applications, connecting both corporate and non-corporate sectors. Both the email applications provide basic as well as advanced features, such as sending & receiving emails, saving contacts, managing calendars, creating & handling events, and much more. Let us discuss these two email applications in detail, and find out why Outlook is better than Lotus Notes.
Lotus Notes
Lotus Notes or IBM Notes is an application suite that contains multiple components, such as emails, address books, calendaring & scheduling, instant messaging, discussion forums, microblogging, and more. You can also use it with other IBM Domino applications and databases. IBM Lotus Notes stores collaborative business information such as emails, calendar data, etc. into an NSF (Notes Storage Facility) file. And the maximum size limitation of the NSF file is 64 GB.
Microsoft Outlook
On the other hand, Outlook is a personal information manager provided by Microsoft. It is a part of the Microsoft Office suite, and it is also available as a separate application. It only allows you to send and receive emails but also provides you other features like contact management, calendar, task management, note-taking, journal, and a web browser. Microsoft Outlook stores all the mailbox data into an Outlook data file called PST (Personal Storage Table). PST file can store up to 50 GB of the mailbox data.
Lotus Notes to Outlook Migration
When it comes to choosing the highly advanced email application, the two names that may come to one’s mind are Lotus Notes to Outlook. However, Microsoft Outlook is considered the best choice for email users. So if you are using Lotus Notes but not enjoying its performance, you should consider switching to Outlook. Below I am comparing both the applications in different ways so you can judge how Outlook is better than Lotus Notes.
#1 – Cost & Maintenance
Let us start by comparing the cost factor of both these email clients. IBM Lotus Notes is quite expensive if you compare it to Outlook. You need to purchase Lotus Notes separately whereas Outlook comes with the Microsoft Office suite. So there is no need to purchase it separately, although it is available as a stand-alone application. Even the maintenance cost of IBM Lotus Notes is pretty high whereas Microsoft Outlook has no maintenance cost.
#2 – Account Creation
In IBM Lotus Notes, you can create only one account at a time. On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook can add multiple accounts for a single user at a time. For those users who want to create multiple profiles, Outlook would be the best choice.
#3 – User Interface
If you compare the user interface of both these email applications, you will find that Outlook is pretty easier than Lotus Notes. To use Lotus Notes with/without Domino Server, it requires sound technical knowledge. On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook has an easy-to-use interface so that even a novice user can use it with ease.
#4 – Operating System
Lotus Notes is available for various operating systems like Windows, Mac, and Linux. On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook is best compatible with Windows-based operating systems. If you are using a Windows operating system, Microsoft Outlook is the best application you can choose. It is also available for Mac systems, Outlook for Mac.
#5 – Support Multitasking Capability
If you are using Lotus Notes with Domino Server, it does not allow multitasking facility due to security features. On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook supports multitasking capability, i.e. you can not only exchange emails but also connect to the users automatically. Outlook connectivity is available for different platforms, such as One Drive, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, MS Office Online, Skype, One Note, etc.
As compared to Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook is always a great email client for home users and business enterprises, and it has already taken around 80% of the corporate market.
How to Migrate Data from Lotus Notes to Outlook?
Although there are a few manual solutions shared in the articles and blogs, they do not ensure complete data migration. Generally, manual solutions are complex to perform, and they take a lot of time and manual effort. Also, they have a few limitations, and most of the time users are unable to use them. On the other hand, a professional solution has no limitations. It does not require any prior technical expertise so even a non-technical user can use it with ease. There are many vendors in the online marketplace that provide NSF to PST Converter tool.
Using any such converter tool, you can successfully convert NSF to PST format. Most of them are available with the free demo version. You can download the demo version and evaluate the software before purchasing it. And if you are satisfied with the results, you can place your order for the licensed version.
Professional Solution to Convert NSF to PST
If you are looking for the best solution to import emails from Lotus Notes to Outlook, I would recommend the NSF to PST Converter tool provided by Bit Data Conversion. This software can convert NSF to PST without causing any alteration to the original NSF files. Below are the key features of this NSF to PST Converter tool:
- This software is known for its high-performance and non-destructive behavior. It can instantly and safely convert NSF to PST, EML, and MSG formats.
- There is no need to convert multiple NSF files one by one. This NSF to PST Converter tool allows you to select multiple files at a time, and perform the batch conversion in one go.
- To get complete transparency, you can check the preview of your NSF file before converting it into the desired file format.
- If you do not want to export almost everything from NSF to PST, you can simply filter the items and export only those mailbox items that you want to export.
- You do not need to worry about the folder structure during NSF to PST conversion. This software can intelligently map the corresponding folders with each other, i.e. it can migrate items from one folder to the same corresponding folder of the PST file.
- If you have a large-sized NSF file, the new PST file created by this software will also be large in size. And it is advisable to keep the PST files’ size handy. During NSF to PST conversion, this tool will safely split NSF file into multiple PST files.
Note: This software is available with the free demo version that will allow you to save the first 25 email items of each mailbox folder of the selected NSF file(s).
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to throw some light on some of the basic reasons why one should switch from Lotus Notes to Outlook. We have also discussed a professional solution to convert NSF to PST format. Without converting NSF to PST format, you cannot use your Lotus Notes’ data in Outlook.