Striking Attributes of Microsoft Exchange and Zimbra Email Platforms

If you start listing all components of your IT infrastructure according to their significance, then email will certainly be positioned among the top IT resources. No business can function without the email facility because it has been a universally accepted mode of official communication across all enterprises irrespective of their sizes. 

Importance of email platforms

We can see employees communicating within an organization by sending email-messages. Email is also used to send business communications to customers, business associates, and vendors across all verticals of businesses. Considering the importance of such communications as well as the volume of messages that need to be handled by your email infrastructure, it is essential to choose the server with proper care. 

Email servers are also required to facilitate storage of business critical messages in addition to enabling seamless exchange of communications. Considering these factors, one should be able to compare the two most sought after business email servers including Microsoft Exchange Server and Zimbra email Hosting. 

These email collaboration platforms are found to be the most sought after applications by businesses to guarantee that employees are able to enjoy a feature-rich communication experience so that it is easy for them to host the entire gamut of mission critical data within a unified resource. 

Points to consider while choosing the email server

Process of zeroing on the right email server by evaluating Zimbra and Microsoft Exchange can be extremely complex. However, one should go for an in-depth comparison for sake of choosing a perfect email resource according to organizational requirements and priorities. 

In principle, both Zimbra and Microsoft Exchange platforms share common theories but differ in their own ways in terms of various features. Organizations can also have their own expectations as far as the type of attributes offered by these email server platforms. These can be radically different in terms of the business categories, target customers, security considerations, and size of the organization. 

If you run a large business enterprise with offices scattered across large geographical area, then you need to build large clusters for storage of critical information and for managing a big volume of email traffic. In contrast, a small sized enterprise or a startup may be able to fulfill email requirements with help of a single email server. 

While looking for a right email platform, one needs to consider the cost of running such systems and the overall value it offers to the organization in terms of enhanced storage, performance and efficiency of communications. If you are looking for an affordable email platform, then Zimbra email server would be a better choice because it offered as open source and is therefore free. However, for large or multi-location enterprises, Zimbra and Microsoft Exchange offer commercial options to choose from. 

Seamless expandability 

In addition to costs, you will be able to leverage Zimbra email platform for expanding your email resource for accommodating a large number of hosted users for future use. Although, both email platforms enable hosting of unlimited users, you will be able to use a single Zimbra email for enhancing email operations by deploying clusters of servers to accommodate future requirements. In fact, many users try out the free version to get accustomed with features of Zimbra email server. 

In spite of its costs, commercial versions of Microsoft Exchange or Zimbra can provide ideal environments for supporting specific business operations in large organizations, this offering a great value for money in the longer run. 

Unrestricted compatibility

If you are looking for an email platform that offers seamless syncing ability for a diverse spectrum of screens sizes such as mobile phones, tabs, and desktops, then Microsoft Exchange server will be the right option to consider. In addition to the facility of Outlook support within Windows or Mac environments, one can easily access a large number of third-party apps that are designed to offer support to Microsoft Exchange Server in addition to providing easy access to complex features including the global address book. Microsoft Exchange also finds a sound and core based support within iOS environments. Zimbra can also be built for integration with Outlook and other desktop clients.

Access to web based interfaces 

There is an excellent support for web-based clients in both MS Exchange as well as Zimbra platforms. These capabilities can be leveraged for providing seamless availability of email services to users on the go even if the devices are not appropriately configured for the same. 

Users can also access a web format based desktop Outlook with help of Outlook Web Access. In the similar manner, you can also find the same support in terms of web interface provided by Zimbra.

Takeaway

If you are operating within a Linux ecosystem, then a decision to choose Zimbra email platform is fully justified. Similarly, in Windows environment, the Microsoft Exchange Server will provide a sound support. Similarity of features of both the platforms will eventually result in equally gratifying user experience irrespective of the platform.