Novell is eyeing possible release of an "ASP kit" built around the Novell Internet Messaging System (NIMS).
NIMS, a lighter messaging system than Novell's GroupWise, has now been on the market for about four years, noted Richard A. Bliss, manager for collaborative development for Novell's Net Management division.
Although a lot less visible than GroupWise, NIMS has garnered about 130,000 users, according to Bliss.
Version 2.6 serves as the messaging engine behind MyRealBox.com, a free email system from Novell that Bliss likened to Microsoft's Hotmail.com.
Also, several universities are now deploying NIMS, including Georgia State and North Carolina State, Bliss said in a briefing at PC Expo.
Meanwhile, systems integrators, VARs and XSPs are starting to build NIMS services for customers such as law and CPA firms. Several of Novell's partners have approached the company about providing a simple one-box solution for creating an ASP service, Bliss maintained.
The solution currently envisioned by Novell would bundle together NIMS with additional software. The company plans to release version 3.0 of NIMS, an edition that will add multidomain management and other new features, in August, Bliss said.
