Unless the IS staff already has a strong partnering relationship with business-side clients, it won't have much say in the process. It needs to be managed that way. Consultants, integrators, developers, and users provide ample evidence that Notes can automate many business processes. But it can also create organizational and technical problems. If the IS staff has any sway, make sure your enterprise doesn't start down this path unless it asks tough questions about those business processes, antes up the proper resources, and undertakes rigorous technology planning.
Notes defies easy definition, which is enough of a reason to be wary.
Notes is all of those and none of them. What sets it apart is that it replicates any changes onto every other computer throughout the system, no matter where it is. A nonprofit health organization uses Notes to match donated organs with people who need them. A food manufacturer collects, distributes, searches, and maintains market research information with it, including weekly updates on what customers are taking from grocery shelves. A human resources consulting firm uses it as a sales and marketing information system and as an electronic library of products and resources available to its consultants.