An all-in-one solution designed with your business in mind

IT that takes care of Itself

IT can help a business to run more smoothly, but most businesses don’t have the luxury of an IT staff. Lotus Foundations Start is designed with those businesses in mind—it makes IT simple. Lotus Foundations Start is self-managing and self-healing, automatically handling critical IT tasks such as data backup*, network settings, file management and security. You’re free to focus on running your business while Lotus Foundations Start takes care of the day-to-day management of your computer systems.

Keep your data safe and your mind at ease*

Data loss can cost you time, money, and maybe even your business. Backup copies are essential to ensure your business can recover from an unforeseen event. Lotus Foundations Start uses reliable disk-based backup technology and automatically backs-up your data as often as every 15 minutes. And, prioritized backups mean you can control what to backup and when. In the event of a disaster, simply insert your backup drive into a new server, and your information is restored in minutes. It’s
that fast. It’s that simple.

Email, calendars and contacts

Email is a way of life—it keeps us in communication with people around the corner and around the world. Lotus Foundations Start comes complete with the award winning IBM Lotus Notes™ email software. And Lotus Notes is more than just email—you can schedule meetings and manage your contacts—all within a modern, intuitive interface. Used to Microsoft® Outlook™? Not a problem—Lotus Foundations Start allows you to use the Outlook email interface. It even enables you to access your
email via the web.

Create an online presence so you can compete with the “big guys”

When emailing clients or partners, a generic email address doesn’t exactly present a professional image. And in today’s world, not having a website makes it tough to compete. Lotus Foundations Start functions as a web server meaning you can create and publish your own web pages and possess your own email domain. Hello yourname@yourbusiness.com. With an online presence and professional email address just like the “big guys,” you can better level the playing field with the competition.

Make blue screens and tedious system updates a thing of the past

Tired of system crashes, system patches and continued pressure by other vendors to upgrade your operating system (OS)? Lotus Foundations Start can change that. It’s based on the highly stable Linux® OS. Instead of manual system patches or time consuming OS upgrades, Lotus Foundations Start does the work for you. If it’s time for an upgrade, the system will take action on its own, downloading and installing the latest updates. There’s no need for you to take any action and no need to worry about system interruptions or downtime.

A proactive approach to security

When you connect to the Internet, your business is at risk of being targeted by hackers, viruses, and spam. Spam clutters inboxes and wastes your time in sorting out legitimate emails. Viruses can slow your systems to a crawl or disable them altogether. Lotus Foundations Start includes integrated firewall, antivirus and antispam technology designed to stop threats before they reach your network, keeping your business running with minimal disruption.

Stay Connected - in the office, at home and on the go

Running a business can be an around-the-clock effort, and being in the office is not always an option. Lotus Foundations Start’ Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology enables you to connect to your office remotely. This security-enhanced remote access allows you to work where and when you want. And while in the office, Lotus Foundations Start allows for file storage and management from a shared, central location. There’s no more need to spend time searching for files on individual machines. And, if your business has branch offices, you can share the Lotus Foundations Start deployment so that everyone can stay connected.

Freedom from the high cost of proprietary office productivity software

With the included Lotus Symphony™ software, you get the functionality you need to create, edit and share business documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Intuitive and easy to use, it’s a fully featured office productivity suite. Lotus Symphony even lets you import, edit and save a variety of other file formats including Microsoft Office files. You can even convert and export your documents, spreadsheets and presentations using Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Work smart, stay productive

One of the keys to business success is to empower people to connect to each other and communicate effectively. Lotus Foundations Start enables you to retain your usual user experience by supporting a variety of file formats and email clients. And it plays well with existing technology so you can continue to use a variety of tools, including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and IBM Lotus Domino™ applications. So, you are free to work how you know best.

Connect in real time -- regardless of location

Optional Lotus Foundations Reach adds secured instant messaging, VoIP and video chat capabilities, and more, all accessible from a single, simple user interface. Your people will be able to find information and connect with each other in real time, without the costs and complexities associated with traditional business communications solutions. Instant messaging (including file transfer) and VoIP technology help to reduce email storage, telephony, international long distance and roaming charges, and can lead to faster response times and improved productivity. And, when combined with a VoIP telephony solution, expanded features are available: click-to-call, click-to-conference, presence awareness, voicemail access, the extension of service to mobile devices, and more.

*Features assume use of Lotus Foundations software on Lotus Foundations appliance hardware.