Zimbra(TM) Extends Compatibility with Microsoft(R) Exchange

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zimbra, a Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) company and the leader in open source, next-generation messaging and collaboration software, today announced the availability of a new open extension framework for Zimbra Collaboration Suite™ (ZCS) that enables two-way interoperability with leading collaboration platforms. Large enterprises and academic institutions can now easily integrate teams using Zimbra to work seamlessly with other departments that use different collaboration servers like Microsoft Exchange, exploring the benefits of Zimbra without having to make the decision to replace their current systems up front. This extends Zimbra’s history of openness and compatibility to a broader range of platforms, and builds on Yahoo!’s leadership in e-mail as a key starting point for users.

“As a research facility, our researchers, scientists and administrative teams have varying needs of collaboration tools. We want to give each department and all of our users the flexibility of using the collaboration platform that works best for them, while avoiding the IT headache of a mixed environment”

The first extension, built by Zimbra for the Microsoft Exchange 2003 platform, and now in beta, allows Zimbra users to access and share two-way free/busy information, schedules and global address book with colleagues whose data resides on Microsoft Exchange. The framework is also openly available for anyone in the Zimbra community to write an extension to other collaboration platforms such as IBM Lotus Domino, Novell® GroupWise®, or PeopleCube Meeting Maker.

“Interoperability with Exchange and other leading collaboration systems is a top request by many enterprises and academic institutions where mixed deployments are common,” said Satish Dharmaraj, Zimbra co-founder and Yahoo! vice president. “Zimbra’s recent growth with large organizations has been tremendous, with recent customer wins and deal expansions including Dai Nippon Publishing, Reliance Industries, H&R Block and Texas A&M University. This interoperability builds upon a long record of compatibility work by Zimbra and is one of the key needs for our largest customers.”

ZCS Interoperability for Exchange features:

Free/busy and schedule interoperability: ZCS now has the ability to view free/busy calendar information in Exchange, allowing a Zimbra user to schedule a meeting with Exchange users as well as book resources like meeting rooms. Conversely Exchange users can also schedule ZCS users; in this regard, it is no different than working with another Exchange user.
Integration with Active Directory: Integration with Active Directory provides a unified Global Address List (GAL) of both ZCS and Exchange users in the same deployment.
Anytime, anywhere access: The feature works in all Zimbra clients, including Zimbra’s AJAX Web Client, Outlook via Zimbra Connector for Outlook, Zimbra Mobile supported devices including any BlackBerry or Windows Mobile based smartphones. Exchange users can use whatever client they use currently such as Outlook.
Minimal IT support: ZCS Interoperability for Exchange doesn’t require any changes on the Exchange server; the service is completely managed in the Zimbra Administration Console.

“As a research facility, our researchers, scientists and administrative teams have varying needs of collaboration tools. We want to give each department and all of our users the flexibility of using the collaboration platform that works best for them, while avoiding the IT headache of a mixed environment,” said Brian Finley, IT Strategist, Argonne National Laboratory. “The Zimbra interoperability framework offers us a way to seamlessly integrate teams and users on various platforms while giving each department the freedom of choice to use any platform they desire.”

Pricing and Availability

ZCS Interoperability for Exchange is free for all ZCS Open Source and Network Edition users and the framework is available now for anyone to develop extensions to other leading platforms. Zimbra Outlook Connector and Zimbra Mobile are available for ZCS Network Edition users.

The ZCS 5.0 Open Source Edition 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 (www.zimbra.com/demo) is available for an immediate test drive of ZCS.

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 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 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.