CRN reports that Veritas Software introduced Data Lifecycle Manager 5.0, an option to its NetBackup 5.0 and Backup Exec 9.1 backup and recovery applications. Data so backed up can be tracked as it migrates and can be set for automatic deletion after a certain length of time. It is initially aimed at Microsoft Exchange and Windows NT file system formats.

Now that Novell has acquired SUSE Linux, Novell intends to leverage its worldwide technical support and channel organizations to unseat Red Hat as the No. 1 distributor of Linux, company executives said. TechWeb reports that along with Novell’s purchase of Ximian last August gave it an entry point into the nascent Linux desktop market as well as significant offering such as a Linux email client to run against Microsoft Exchange and Red Carpet Linux management services.

MSExchange.org announced that GFI MailEssentials for Exchange/SMTP was named the winner in the Anti-Spam category of the MSExchange.org Readers’ Choice Awards. The MSExchange.org Reader’s Choice Awards give visitors to the site the opportunity to vote for the products they view as the very best in their respective category.

Raxco Software announced that PerfectDisk Version 6.0 for Microsoft Exchange now supports Exchange 2003. PerfectDisk for Exchange is an add-on utility to PerfectDisk, Raxco’s enterprise disk defragmentation and optimization utility. PerfectDisk for Exchange allows organizations to recapture unused disk space and improve Exchange performance by automating and scheduling the defragmentation and compaction of Exchange data stores, a manual process Microsoft states is necessary to reduce the physical size of the Exchange database.

The Radicati Group released Market Numbers Summary Update, Q4 2003, a new study showing year-end 2003 market share figures and four-year forecasts for all core market segments tracked by the Radicati Group. According to the study, there are 513 million email users worldwide, which send and receive over 57 billion email messages every day. In the enterprise messaging software market, Microsoft Exchange continues to lead the way with about 30% of the total installed base. IBM’s Lotus Notes/Domino product follows closely behind with a 26% market share at year-end 2003. On the client side, Microsoft Outlook is by far the most widely used desktop client. Within the corporate market, Outlook has a 62% market share.

Vodafone Group announced it will begin selling BlackBerry devices and servers from Research In Motion. RCR Wireless News says that Vodafone will sell the BlackBerry enterprise edition in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom starting this month. The BlackBerry personal version will be available in December. Vodafone will sell the BlackBerry server with the color-screen 7230 handheld, which features cradleless synchronization and support for Internet, Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino email services.

Sphere Communications announced a free seminar that will focus on addressing the key considerations and requirements for deploying IP-based solutions for enterprise telecommunications. Sphere components can be used to employ multiple applications for the enterprise, providing a path to an all IP telephony environment, including PBX networking, voice and video conferencing, and unified messaging to integrate voice messages into Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes.

Best Software announced the launch of the latest version of Timberline Office, a suite of integrated financial and operations software for construction and real estate professionals. With an improved Project Management software component as part of the newest Office suite, Timberline offers a solution that allows project managers to log and retrieve project-specific email within the company’s centralized project management system.

PM Solutions, a Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Partner, has teamed with Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) to help REI implement the Microsoft Office 2003 EPM Solution. The Microsoft Office 2003 EPM Solution includes Microsoft Office Project Server 2003, Microsoft Office Project Professional 2003, and Microsoft Project Web Access with Microsoft Outlook integration. In addition, their use of Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Outlook will enable REI team members to communicate, collaborate, and manage documents.

Net Integration Technologies announced the successful launch of its ExchangeIt! collaboration software. ExchangeIt! works with Linux-based Net Integrator Operating System (NIOS) to provide Small and Mid-sized Businesses and Enterprises (SMB/SMEs) with an alternative to Microsoft Exchange Server. ExchangeIt! works with Microsoft Outlook.