LOTUS TAKES AIM AT MICROSOFT
By Adnews Staff
U.S.-based Lotus Development Corp. is attempting to get North American Microsoft Office corporate users to switch to Lotus' SmartSuite 97 productivity suite. In an offer that began this week, Lotus is offering a special low price to businesses in Microsoft's Office Select program if they upgrade to Lotus' SmartSuite 97. Members of the Lotus SmartSuite Passport program are also eligible for the offer. Microsoft's Select and Lotus' Passport programs are offered to medium and large-sized businesses that license a certain number of program copies. A business using Lotus' SmartSuite 97 would have to license 25 copies of the program to gain membership in Passport. Businesses wishing to take advantage of Lotus' offer, called the SmartSuite Competitive Upgrade Program, also get either one or two years maintenance, which entitles them to upgrade to any new releases of SmartSuite during the maintenance period. In North America Lotus is including a free interactive, on-line training program with the upgrade. Lotus' offer is available in North America until July 30 from Lotus sales offices, or from a Lotus SmartSuite Web site. Cohn & Wolfe of Toronto is supporting the promotion in Canada using PR.