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Forrester recently released a report Four Giants Compete For Your Cloud Email Business authored by Ted Schadler, Chief Analyst at the company. According to Ted business email is poised to be the next big area of growth in IT, for a number of reasons. For one, cloud based email is cheaper, and not just cheaper, but way cheaper. Second, it can evolve faster as opposed to server based email, where new features are available only corresponding to the one or two yearly upgrade cycles of traditional software. This has been exemplified by the spate of features provided by cloud based business email providers like HyperOffice and Gmail. Third, cloud based email is a commodity, where users no longer need to bother with the IT backend. Finally, cloud email can also serve as a test case before companies move to the cloud in other more specialized IT areas. However, according to Schadler, the choice of email provider is not going to be an easy one, with not much to choose between the four big players in the area in terms of features and cost - Microsoft, Google, Cisco and IBM. Microsoft has recently forayed into the area with Exchange Online and Microsoft BPOS. Google offers Google Apps (see a comparison between Google Apps and Microsoft BPOS). IBM offers Lotus Live and Cisco has just entered the market with WebEx Mail, which is has launched after its acquisition of PostPath, a cloud email provider positioned as an "exchange alternative". Schadler sees this market as a split between these four providers, but he discounts the possibility of other players like HyperOffice and Zimbra thriving in specific niches.
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