Zimbra: the messaging alternative to Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange is well established in the enterprise. However, needs are changing, and so are the players: there are publishers with attractive offerings, such as Zimbra. How do you compare them? Find out all our tips on corporate messaging.
Evolution of professional webmail publishers
Microsoft Exchange: the historic but obsolete player?
Microsoft applications are widely deployed in companies and organizations. With its Office 365 suite, as well as its Exchange business messaging, Microsoft is still the benchmark. However, there are other vendors whose solutions have :
- equivalent functionality ;
- lower prices.
The revival
Companies need to cut costs. CIOs (Information Systems Departments) are under strong budgetary pressure. SaaS (Software as a Service) makes applications available in the Cloud. No need to install locally, deployment costs are saved. The trend is towards IT-as-a-Service. On the day of an Exchange upgrade, companies can legitimately ask themselves:
- Continue with Exchange?
or
- Switch to another vendor?
Zimbra messaging: the right alternative
Zimbra is suitable for all types of organization: businesses, government agencies, associations... It's a responsive, collaborative software package featuring :
- messaging (mailbox) ;
- instant messaging (chat, VoIP calls) ;
- calendar;
- address book;
- task manager;
- document holder.
Mail software comparison
When we compare email software between Zimbra and Exchange mailboxes, the following points stand out:
Deployment
On the Exchange side, there are two possibilities:
- licensed: local ;
- via a virtual appliance.
On the Zimbra side, one more:
- SaaS mode: online.
Accessibility
We work a lot on the move, both from a business device and with our personal equipment. This is known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). To enable this, the company needs to ensure that employees have access to their Internet mailboxes, so that they can connect continuously to a personal, secure cloud containing all their data and applications. This means installing applications on every device, unless it's SaaS. With Zimbra, mobility is a reality for employees and system administrators alike, with the web-based administration console, also SaaS and secure.
Compatibility
Exchange is only compatible with native installations, notably for the web. To navigate, users must use OWA (Outlook Web Access). However, interoperability between the Outlook e-mail client and the OWA web client is uncertain. Appearance and functionality vary :
- from one operating system to another: depending on whether you're using Mac, Windows or Linux.
- from one browser to another: the Premium version of OWA, for example, will not be available on Chrome on Mac and Linux.
With Zimbra, the user experience is homogeneous whatever the operating system or web browser. What's more, the APIs of its extensions, Zimlets, are compatible with a wide range of tools. Exchange's APIs are limited, making plug-ins unavailable or unsound.
Support
These compatibility problems mobilize support: employees risk encountering technical blockages. They will have to call on support or the IT department. Between :
- lack of adoption of OWA by employees ;
- difficulties in restoring Exchange data ;
- frequent server downtime;
Your IT department will be called upon more frequently for Exchange. One CIO estimates that Exchange requires 33% more administrative time, and one more full-time person per year. And this remains true even if you have four times fewer users than if you were on Zimbra. With Zimbra, support is provided by the Ovea integrator. It is less in demand, especially as users are guided to carry out certain simple tasks themselves. More autonomous, they are able to solve their problems more quickly. And that means less support time.
Total cost of ownership
Before changing tools, you need to assess the TCO: Total Cost of Obtention. If the hardware costs of storage and the price of the license are important, you need to add the associated human capital. The time spent on the solution and the cost of support contracts work against MS Exchange, especially in view of their recurring problems with Outlook and PST files.
Extensions
The issue of administrative rights for extensions is another factor that overburdens support. Anyone can install a plugin. You can imagine the technical problems involved. With Zimbra, IT department supervision is designed to avoid this kind of problem.
While Exchange has long been the essential business tool, more agile and high-performance solutions like Zimbra are catching up. The question arises as to how to save on operating costs and work with a more efficient tool. If it's the prospect of switching your data or your business mailbox that's worrying you, read our article on how to successfully migrate your business mailbox and your doubts will disappear.
Article translated from French