Zimbra Launches Zimbra Collaboration Suite 5.0

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zimbra, a Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) company, and the leader in open source, next-generation e-mail, today announced the availability of Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) 5.0. ZCS 5.0 includes hundreds of enhancements that expand Zimbra’s access across desktops and devices while setting the standard for Web-based productivity in a business environment, and showcases Yahoo!’s dedication to providing world-class e-mail and collaboration services.

“For Eircom, its superior features match our consumer and small business customers’ needs and support our monetization model better than any alternative we evaluated.”

Yahoo!’s global reach and Zimbra’s expansive partner network are fueling continued growth, reaching key audiences including universities, ISPs and small businesses – further extending Yahoo!’s overall leadership in e-mail, a key daily starting point for Web users today.

“We are proud of our achievements in ZCS 5.0 and appreciate the passionate feedback from the 13,500 open source community members and customers that made our most significant release to date a huge success,” said Satish Dharmaraj, Yahoo! vice president and Zimbra co-founder. “Together, we have built one of the world’s premier e-mail and collaboration products, and with Yahoo!’s support, are continuing to innovate at a more rapid pace.”

Enhancements in ZCS 5.0 extend Zimbra’s best-of-breed anywhere access on the desktop, including support for Microsoft Outlook 2007, and on virtually any device, with support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server, J2ME-enabled handsets such as the Motorola RAZR, and a new version of ZCS for mobile web browsers. New features in the award-winning Zimbra AJAX Web client include instant messaging, briefcase, and task applications as well as Zimbra Desktop, the world’s first offline-capable Web 2.0 collaboration experience.

“Zimbra has the broadest device and desktop support options of any e-mail and collaboration solution, plus advanced Web 2.0 features in the browser,” said Dervilla Mullan, head of Eircom Online, Eircom. “For Eircom, its superior features match our consumer and small business customers’ needs and support our monetization model better than any alternative we evaluated.”

“Support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server is a huge advantage for Zimbra. From a business standpoint, it’s the last box to check in a product evaluation, and Zimbra is the only open platform that offers it,” said David Smith, group technical director, Gyro International Ltd.

New features in ZCS 5.0 include:

Native e-mail, contacts, calendar, and task synchronization from Zimbra to Outlook 2007
Access Zimbra on all BlackBerry handsets, J2ME enabled devices, or any mobile web browser, including the Apple iPhone
Zimbra Tasks monitor start and due dates, priority, progress, and percent complete of tasks
Built directly into ZCS, Web-based Instant Messaging supports multiple conversations and group chats
Conveniently store any file from an e-mail in Zimbra Briefcase instead of as an e-mail attachment; easily share Briefcase folders with others
Work online or offline with Zimbra Desktop, the AJAX experience for Zimbra users and users of existing POP and IMAP e-mail servers
Share inboxes and e-mail folders with others, including the ability to provide read-only-access or allow others to completely manage
Fifteen fully certified languages ship within ZCS for end-users to choose

New Yahoo! and Zimbra Integrated Services

New Zimlets in ZCS 5.0 leverage Yahoo! properties, including Flickr, Yahoo! Local, Yahoo! Finance, and Yahoo! Search. Later this year, Zimbra’s innovative technologies will be incorporated into properties including Yahoo! Mail and Calendar.

“As CEO Jerry Yang previewed at CES, the future of Yahoo! Mail is a smarter more open e-mail experience for all of our users,” said Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president, communications and communities, Yahoo!. “We will leverage Zimlet-like technology that currently exists in Zimbra’s offering to help advance our goal of creating a smarter inbox that will delight hundreds of millions of Yahoo! Mail users worldwide.”

Yahoo! has been a global leader in e-mail for more than ten years, with Yahoo! Mail exceeding one billion visits each month. Yahoo! Mail remains at the forefront of innovation in Web e-mail, and by leveraging Zimbra’s innovative, open technologies, will continue to give users a more dynamic Web 2.0 experience. This is a vital part of Yahoo!’s strategy to become the starting point for the most consumers on the Web.

Global Zimbra Community Continues to Thrive

Zimbra’s commitment to being a partner of choice has been rewarded by 35 percent service provider customer growth in the last quarter alone and a majority of Zimbra’s revenue is now driven by its partner channel. Zimbra now serves customers in over 70 countries, a 40 percent increase of its global reach from Q3 to Q4 2007. Over 300 new universities have adopted Zimbra in the past year, driving unparalleled growth in the education market.

ZCS 5.0 builds upon Zimbra’s significant momentum in the e-mail market, highlighted by a six-fold increase of its customer base in 2007 and a current total of more than 11 million paid mailboxes.

New customers using ZCS 5.0 represent a wide range of industry leaders, including:

Red Hat (NYSE:RHT)
Texas A&M University
Eircom, a leading European ISP
Brandeis University
Hyatt Legal Plans (NYSE:MET)
University of Guelph
Sutton Group Realty Services
Franklin and Marshall College
Kuwait University
Dai Nippon Printing (OTC:DNPCF)

In addition, there are now over 13,500 active members in the Zimbra development community, with over 250 posts to the Zimbra Community Forums daily. Zimbra’s continued global expansion is driving most of this growth, with new members constantly joining from outside the US.

Pricing and Availability

The ZCS 5.0 Open Source Edition, available now, is free. The commercially supported ZCS 5.0 Network Edition is available for a 60-day free trial on the Zimbra Website. Zimbra’s Hosted Demo is available for an immediate test drive of ZCS, please visit http://www.zimbra.com/demo.

ZCS Network Edition includes product support as well as software subscriptions to new releases, updates and patches. ZCS is available on-premise or as a hosted service and is available at a significant educational or non-profit discount, please contact sales@zimbra.com for information. Users can discuss topics related to the Zimbra Collaboration Suite and provide feedback at http://www.zimbra.com/forums/.

About Zimbra

Zimbra, a Yahoo! company, is a leading provider of collaboration software for universities, businesses and service providers. Zimbra’s rich AJAX interface is available on or offline to dramatically improve the collaboration experience. Zimbra is available on-premise or on-demand through our extensive hosted partner program. More information at http://www.zimbra.com/.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the company’s blog, Yodel Anecdotal.