A key element of York's Information Technology strategy is to leverage technology to enhance the communication and collaboration capabilities of students, faculty and staff. In 2003 the University issued an RFI to gain information on current options and emerging trends in the marketplace. Based in part on this information, but also in large part to leverage existing University investment and expertise, the decision has been made to provide central licensing and support for Lotus Notes. The implementation of Lotus Notes will be a major project for 2004-05.

The messaging and calendaring capabilities of Lotus Notes have been in use at York within four Faculties for a number of years already. In 2004 CNS will introduce central support for Lotus Notes, creating a university-wide platform for email, calendaring and instant messaging.

This initiative will replace Synchronize calendaring which has been in use at York for many years. This means that for faculty members who are currently using Synchronize to meet their calendaring requirements there will be a transition to the Lotus Notes calendaring product once it is introduced, and as Sychronize is phased out. CNS is in the early stages of developing a training and support plan to facilitate the changeover.

While many faculty will undoubtedly choose to take advantage of the email and instant messaging capabilities which will be part of Lotus Notes, it is important to note that standards-based IMAP email (such as Netscape) will remain as a supported service, primarily for students but also for staff and faculty for whom simple email is adequate.

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