This is the announcement I’ve been waiting for since Lotusphere, the new version of Lotus Foundations:
IBM Lotus Foundations Start 1.1 and IBM Lotus Foundations Branch Office 1.1 save time and costs for small businesses or remote branch offices with limited or no in-house technical resources
At a glance
IBM Lotus Foundations Start 1.1 and IBM Lotus Foundations Branch 1.1:
  * Provide core IT services needed to run any small business including setting up a security-rich network or connecting branch offices.
  * Help save time and costs by automating manual day-to-day IT management with unique self-managing and self-configuring server autonomics.
  * Provide the reliability and security you deserve with a small footprint Linux-based server, while being extremely easy to use.
  * Protect and store your electronic data with frequent, automated, highly reliable backups; eliminate the necessity to buy expensive third-party backup software.
  * Quickly execute a full system recovery in the event of a disaster.
  * Facilitate the creation and sharing of information, e-mail, and calendars using IBM Lotus Notes and Domino software.
  * Help save cost with IBM Lotus Symphony office productivity tools that enable you to work on spreadsheets, presentations, and documents without purchasing expensive office software and upgrades.Overview
IBM Lotus Foundations Start 1.1 and IBM Lotus Foundations Branch Office 1.1 offer the essential software required to run a small business or remote branch office. Driving out cost and complexity, these products provide a unique combination of reliability, security, and simplicity.
Whether you need to set up a secure office network, connect branch offices, protect your data, or provide remote access, e-mail, and collaboration capabilities to your employees, Lotus Foundations Start and Lotus Foundations Branch Office have you covered.
With Lotus Foundations Start and Lotus Foundations Branch Office you can:
  * Run your business or remote branch office on the most reliable and secure server. With an extremely small server footprint and a Linux-based operating system, Lotus Foundations Start and Lotus Foundations Branch Office are ideal for the small business or remote branch office looking for ease of use and reliability.
  * Save time and costs in manual day-to-day IT management. The unique server autonomics built into this server removes IT complexity and automates functions including installation, configuration, security checks, and self-management of the overall system while adding simplicity and reliability to your IT infrastructure.
  * Easily share information and quickly respond to customers; share calendars, organize e-mail, and collaborate with IBM Lotus Notes and Domino collaboration software.
  * Reduce cost of ownership with Lotus Symphony office productivity tools and work on spreadsheets, presentations, and documents without purchasing any additional software.
  * Have the peace of mind that your data is reliably backed up and can be easily restored in the event of a disaster. Intelligent disk backup ensures your data is automatically backed up. The full system recovery capability ensures fast recovery in the event of a disaster.
  * Run Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Domino applications on the same server.
  * Use Lotus Foundations Branch Office to leverage the branch office Lotus Domino skills and data already available at the head office.
So why is this release so important?
1) With Lotus Foundations Start 1.1, you get the ability to run not only Linux applications on the in-built Foundations OS, but also any application that runs on Windows or other Linux distributions/appliances. Support for VMware Server 2.0 is provided in both Foundations Start 1.1 and Foundations Branch Office 1.1 so that you can protect your existing appliance investment with an experience that is superior to running applications on a native Windows machine. You benefit from the stability of a Linux-based system while enjoying the ability to support the wide array of Microsoft Windows-based applications. Running Microsoft Windows applications on a virtual machine represents a significant improvement over traditional Microsoft Windows based x86 platforms.  (I’m really looking forward to using Foundations Start as a base for Lotus Connections and Quickr deployments now we have this functionality…)
2) Lotus Foundations Start 1.1 supports distributed deployment of Lotus Foundations Start services in multiple locations – an improvement over the single-server model of 1.0. This means that Lotus Foundations Start deployments in two locations can be aware of each other and be able to share data and users between them. Lotus Domino is not a prerequisite for this offering.  Secondly, Lotus Foundations Branch Office supports deployment of Lotus Foundations Start as a branch office solution for organisations with existing Lotus Domino infrastructure at the head office. Administration of the Domino server within the branch office can be done following existing processes, and using existing Domino administration tools. So now Foundations can provide your organisation with an easy-to-manage and easy-to-deploy solution for remote offices.
These are excellent improvements to the Foundations product line.  If you haven’t taken a closer look at Foundations so far, it’s time to do so.
[Collaboration Matters is a Foundations business partner, so if you have any further questions, please do get in touch]
