Zimbra is an email server and client that was first created by Zimbra, Inc. but is currently owned by Telligent Systems. At present, this free email client is owned by Telligent Systems. On the other hand, Microsoft Exchange is also an email server client that provides both client side and server side services. Microsoft Exchange is essentially a server program that runs on a Windows Server. Both of these email server programs have attracted a lot of attention over the past few years, as ZImbra provides stiff competition to Microsoft Exchange. Whereas Microsoft Exchange is an industry standard, Hosted Zimbra is being increasingly adopted by companies. So, why would you choose Zimbra over Microsoft Exchange? Let’s find out:
Zimbra provides a range of advantages, both server side and client side. Here are some of the benefits.
Zimbra provides much greater cross platform compatibility than Microsoft Exchange. For those who have the paid version of Zimbra, there is a separate Outlook Plugin, which provides virtually the same functionality as Microsoft Exchange, within the Outlook interface.
Moreover, Zimbra provides much easier facilities for companies in order to manage their accounts. For companies, there is a proper administration panel which can be loaded with whatever features that they might require. Zimbra allows companies to add numerous different domains, or just allow access via one domain, by allowing users to specify which domain they want.
Zimbra also provides seamless mobile access, and in the present world, having a strong mobile connection is of utmost importance because companies make use of email facilities on the go. For people who are more comfortable in using a Linux environment, Zimbra will be very easy to get to terms with. For people who use the MAC OS X, Zimbra provides iCal support, which you can’t get with Microsoft Exchange.
The greatest benefit of all that you get with the Zimbra is that there is a free version available as well; the same cannot be said for Microsoft Exchange. Zimbra also provides a very secure interface, and even though Microsoft Exchange also has top notch security features, the easier to user and simplistic interface of Zimbra along with additional security is a surefire win. Because Zimbra is an open source email server, making changes is quite easy and you can tailor it to your needs.
The compatibility of Zimbra over Microsoft Exchange has already been discussed, yet it should be known that Zimbra also provides full API to allow for bi-directional integration with various enterprise apps such as CRM, ERP and various others. Thanks to other features such as multi calendar views and other features such as conversation views via various folders make Zimbra Hosting a more powerful option Microsoft Exchange.
As mentioned above, Zimbra is available for free, which means that you can just download the software app from the official website of Zimbra and get started. This ease of use and simplicity, as well as the vast integration options make Zimbra a great choice.