At IBM Connect 2017, we made it a priority to emphasize our commitment to IBM Domino as an application and mail platform that continues to be relevant and updated with modern technologies. We know from conversations with our clients and partners how many customers rely on Domino to deliver key business process and situational applications.

In the last few months, we have announced a number of initiatives to provide clear examples of the value both IBM and our clients place on having a confident direction for the product and its roadmap.

Extended Support: Notes/Domino 9.0 shipped in 2013, and IBM’s normal five-year support model meant that mainstream support could have ended in 2018. However, we know how important these products are to your business, and we are continuing to invest in new functionality. For IBM Notes/Domino 9.0, we have announced that product support will be extended through at least 2021, and extended support through at least 2024. There is no end of life planned for Notes and Domino, and we will continue to update the timeline for support as appropriate based on future releases and market requirements.

Feature Packs: Last fall, we also announced a new feature pack model, delivering regular updates with new functionality. This allows for a more modern continuous delivery of features like database improvements and Java runtime updates. Feature Pack 8 shipped on March 8, 2017. Based on feedback from IBM Connect 2017, we may change the nomenclature of these to convey more of a sense of new product release, not just bug fixes.

Verse On-Premises: Shipped in December of 2016, Verse On-Premises is a modern web mail interface now available for Domino. It delivers the Verse cloud experience for on-premises customers.

Application Analysis: The first step to refreshing and extending your Domino applications is understanding your application landscape. At IBM Connect 2017, we introduced ApplicationInsights, powered by panagenda, a no-charge tool for Notes customers to understand usage patterns. This tool will help you assess your current investment in Domino and plan for the future by providing you the details to understand which applications add the most value to your business.

Extend with REST APIs: We are updating and enhancing the REST APIs available for Domino. We will be defining the current REST APIs (Data, Mail, Calendar, and Freebusy) via the OpenAPI specification to allow them to be used with modern tools (e.g., Swagger). The REST API definitions for Calendar and Freebusy and code samples are available in a repository on OpenNTF. We also intend to extend the capabilities of the current APIs and add new APIs to increase the ability to integrate Domino with modern applications. We are also continuing to work with the OpenNTF community around tools such as SmartNSF, providing new ways to allow access to Notes application logic.

Refresh Your Applications: We realize that many of you want to invest in exposing your applications to users in new ways—and we have ideas. We know there are many approaches, and we have chosen to highlight three to assist you with refreshing and extending your Domino applications: Darwino, Aveedo, and Sapho. Each has their own approach to taking your applications forward, and while there is no “one size fits all,” one of them is sure to meet your needs.

My team covered these updates and enhancements in their presentation at IBM Connect 2017, which I have posted here: www.slideshare.net/edbrill/ibm-connect-2017-refresh-and-extend-ibm-domino-applications

With these plans and exciting feature packs in the pipeline, your investment in Notes/Domino will continue serving your organizations for years to come. Let us know your thoughts and priorities as we move forward.