The price of this easy access is the large initial effort required to create a Notes database. This is a much more complex position than Webmaster. The Notes administrator is responsible for user management, application development, database and index management, database replication, script programming, and other system-related tasks. In addition, since many Notes applications are unique, additional end-user training is required. Creating and maintaining a Web server is less expensive than a Notes server.
Web servers are generally available freely off the Internet for educational and nonprofit sites.
In a large organization these costs can add up to a substantial difference. The Web for Groupware Having considered the relative merits of each technology, an organization may want to choose one yet still gain the advantages of the other. Within limits, this is a viable alternative. An internal Web server can provide a useful single source of information to users. A Webmaster may extend its value by allowing users to create their own home pages and make them available as needed.