Roger, Your response looks like good news, but it seems vague on a few points, and we are seeing all sorts of interpretations on the list. Perhaps you could clarify your plans regarding the future of IMail: are there going to be new versions (specifically, new major versions) of IMail as a stand-alone product?
Your letter states that since IMail is at the core of ICS, it will continue to receive support and upgrades. However, it's not clear what you mean by upgrades. Will we just continue to see fixes in the current 8.x line, or will there be a 9.x version? It seems that your development efforts will be in the integration of your ICS package, and not on features for IMail itself. While some people may use the SA for support, many of us use it to get upgrades (since Ipswitch's support is less than satisfactory), so it would help to know the future of upgrades. Frankly, I'm skeptical about the prospects for ICS, mainly because I think you've over-priced yourself. However, ICS isn't my concern. Like a lot of people, I started researching alternatives to IMail last week. Like a lot of people, I would rather not switch if I don't have to -- I've already invested a lot of time and money in a system that works pretty well. However, I don't see much point in whipping a dead horse. If you don't plan any more significant development for IMail, then it's still a dead-end product for people who don't purchase ICS. So please get back to us as soon as possible and give us a clearer picture of what we should expect. This would be a good time to be completely forthright. Thanks, Ben Bednarz BC Web LLC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger C. Greene" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 6:47 PM Subject: [IMail Forum] IMail/ICS Update Dear IMail Customers, The messaging market has changed since we introduced IMail almost 10 years ago. Back then, SMTP and POP3 were most of what was needed in a product. Today, there is increasing demand for more comprehensive collaboration solutions and the stand-alone messaging market is shrinking. That is why we introduced Ipswitch Collaboration Suite as our messaging solution for the future. In introducing ICS, though, we did not fully assess the impact on you, our customers. Many of you have written or called to tell us about that impact. We have listened to what you had to say and decided on the following actions: 1. IMail Server customers may continue to purchase Service Agreements without upgrading to ICS. Since it is at the core of ICS, you can be assured that we will continue to enhance and support IMail Server. As of December 1, Service Agreement prices will increase to $695 (from $495) for IMail Professional and to $375 (from $245) for IMail Small Business. Note that anti-virus subscriptions will only be sold as part of ICS. For those who have AV, we believe the ICS value proposition is compelling. As always, we strongly encourage all IMail users to keep current with new IMail releases. We do not believe that per-support-incident charges are in the best interests of the majority of our users, and will not adopt them at this time (but will continue to listen to your feedback). 2. Ipswitch Instant Messaging customers may also continue to purchase Service Agreements. As of December 1, the Service Agreement price will increase to $195 (from $99). 3. The December 31 deadline for cross-grade pricing to ICS has been eliminated, so you have more time to plan. You may now make the move to ICS on your own schedule. I am sure that many of you will have questions about your particular circumstances, and I encourage you to talk to your Ipswitch or reseller salesperson about the best path forward for you. I want to especially thank those of you who took the time to call us and explain your situations in detail. We are pleased that we ended up opening a more direct channel of communications with all of you who wrote or called. Last week Bill Pollack sent an e-mail with management names and phone numbers; please always feel free to call us. Sincerely, Roger Greene President To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/ To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/
