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Pol-Balaguer - PeerSpot reviewer
VS at Netplay Inc
Real User
Easy to use, set up, and has a free community addition 
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is easy to set up."
  • "It does have a few bugs."

What is our primary use case?

We typically use the solution for our email and collaboration. It’s nothing much. It’s just the basic functionality that we are leveraging.

What is most valuable?

The subscription base in terms of their support, unlike before, now has a community addition. Now, everything is free.

It's just easy to use and straightforward. For an SMB, it is a recommendable email solution.

The product is easy to set up.

It’s a stable solution.

What needs improvement?

It does have a few bugs. However, they are small and can be worked around.

The performance could be better in terms of handling multiple domains.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve used the solution for three to five years at this point. I’ve used it for a while now. It’s been a long time.

Buyer's Guide
Zimbra Collaboration
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zimbra Collaboration. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been great. There are some bugs that can be fixed with minor workarounds. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable. I like the performance, however, of course, it could be better.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have about 150 users on the solution currently.

We do not really plan to increase usage as we are trying to reduce it due to the pandemic. We really need to trim it down, actually.

How are customer service and support?

We haven’t needed support, although in the community version, there is a community you can reach to for help. The community has been responsive so far.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to set up. It’s not overly complicated.

The installation process only takes an hour. It’s pretty fast.

Deployment and maintenance only require two people. There’s an engineer and a systems admin.

What about the implementation team?

We have an integrator that assists us.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is now a community addition that is free to use.

What other advice do I have?

We are using an older version of the solution.

I’d rate the solution eight out of ten.

I would recommend the solution to others, especially if they happen to be an SMB.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Consultant
Consultant
Straightforward and easy deployment, consistently reliable, with price related advantages
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is the cost."
  • "I would like to see a Microsoft schedule function added."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for email purposes.

How has it helped my organization?

I would like to see a Microsoft schedule function added. In addition, some additional appearance and convenience features would be nice.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is the cost.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Zimbra Collaboration for the past three or four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In general, the overall stability is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward and not difficult.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Zimbra Collaboration has a better price than Microsoft.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When you compare it to Microsoft the only major difference is the scheduling and advanced scheduling feature

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Zimbra Collaboration and eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Zimbra Collaboration
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zimbra Collaboration. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Support Team Leader at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Simple logging and tacking, good technical support, but lacking scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The logs, troubleshooting, and tracking we have found to be the most valuable features. We have any issues with lost messages the features are useful. It is very easy to track and log."
  • "The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation."

What is our primary use case?

Zimbra Collaboration is useful for small to medium organizations, such as educational institutes, schools, and universities. For big businesses and enterprises, I do not this it is as useful. There are some other useful solutions, such as Office 365 and Google Cloud which would be better suited.

What is most valuable?

The logs, troubleshooting, and tracking we have found to be the most valuable features. We have any issues with lost messages the features are useful. It is very easy to track and log.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zimbra Collaboration for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zimbra Collaboration has been stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Zimbra Collaboration to be scalable but could improve.

We have approximately 400 to 500 users that use this solution.

We do not have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

I have been satisfied with the technical support from Zimbra Collaboration.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation.

What about the implementation team?

We used help from an integrator for the implementation.

We have approximately four administrators and engineers that support this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do not pay for licenses to use this solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution for small to medium-scale businesses.

I rate Zimbra Collaboration a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System and Network Engineer at ADEX TECHNOLOGY
Real User
Great dashboard, a modern user interface, and excellent scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability is good and keeps getting better with each new update."
  • "The solution could use more integration with third-party tools."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily install Zimbra Collaborations for the many customers that we have. It's primarily used for networking and collaboration.

What is most valuable?

The pricing of the solution is excellent.

It's a newer solution with a modern interface and dashboard.

The interface itself is very responsive and easy to navigate.

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward.

The stability is good and keeps getting better with each new update. 

The pricing of the product is excellent. 

The solution really does scale very easily. 

Technical support is quite helpful.

What needs improvement?

We are simply a customer and an end-user. We don't have a business relationship with the organization.

The log files need to be improved. It needs to show us more information. Right now, a lot of detail is lacking and that's not very helpful or insightful.

The solution could use more integration with third-party tools. That would be very useful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with the solution for two years at this point. It hasn't been too long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. In fact, its stability continues to grow with updates. It doesn't crash and freeze. there are no bugs or glitches. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Zimbra is very, very scalable. We can start small and go from 20 accounts to very high numbers of additional accounts. It's quite easy to do. If a company needs to scale, it can do so very quickly.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've been in contact with technical support in the past and I find that they are quite good. They are helpful and responsive. they are knowledgeable about the product and they are helpful when we have queries. We are satisfied with their level of attention.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite straightforward and very simple. It's not overly complex or difficult. It shouldn't prove to be too much of a challenge.

What about the implementation team?

We install the solution for our customers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is very low cost. It's an open-source solution. It's not an expensive option.

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend the solution to other organizations due to the fact that the solution very low-cost and it's an open-source option - which is very attractive to many companies. We installed it in a Linux system so that we can get more security on our platform. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We are quite satisfied with the capabilities of the product.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Technical Developer at a media company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Web interface powerful, easy to use, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The web interface is powerful and easy to use."
  • "The support was lacking in my experience. However, recently the support I received was good. Perhaps they have improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution for inhouse emails.

What is most valuable?

The web interface is powerful and easy to use.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

From what I have heard the solution is scalable. I have not had an experience with scaling it but I am aware of some very large companies that use it.

How are customer service and technical support?

The support was lacking in my experience. However, recently the support I received was good. Perhaps they have improved. 

With the networking edition of the solution you receive 
the full support options.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported.

What other advice do I have?

My advice is to try and make sure that the target environment is suited for the web interface because that is where most of its features are found.

I rate Zimbra Collaboration a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Account Manager at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Real User
Helpful support, beneficial pricing structure, and useful backup management
Pros and Cons
  • "The backup and storage management features of Zimbra Collaboration are valuable."
  • "Zimbra Collaboration could improve the migration from a basic solution to a more containerized solution. For example, the installation should be able to extend to the containers and manage them with some solution, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes."

What is our primary use case?

We have customers that are using the on-premise version of Zimbra Collaboration and others are using the cloud.

We Zimbra Collaboration to send and receive email primarily. Additionally, we use it for collaboration, sharing documents, and calendar contacts. It's a solution for massaging and collaboration.

What is most valuable?

The backup and storage management features of Zimbra Collaboration are valuable.

What needs improvement?

Zimbra Collaboration could improve the migration from a basic solution to a more containerized solution. For example, the installation should be able to extend to the containers and manage them with some solution, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes.

The video conference solution Zimbra Connect is a mediocre solution for video conferences. They should make it more similar to Office 365 and add some collaboration with other solutions, such as Alfresco.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zimbra Collaboration for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zimbra Collaboration must work on the high availability of the platform.

I have found Zimbra not to be very stable. If we see in one node, we have a lot of patches and collective principles of security. Zimbra is not very stable, but it's okay. We can see some bugs in the Zimbra Collaboration but they release patches to fix them. For example, in the last patches, they corrected a vulnerability that could have caused an attack with Log4j.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable horizontally and vertically

Zimbra Collaboration is suitable for all sizes of companies, small, medium, and large companies, such as government, industry, and media.

How are customer service and support?

I have been satisfied with the support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Zimbra Collaboration is straightforward. However, we must be the administrators of Linux because we need to have access to the command-line to install it. We cannot install it with the graphic interface. We must have the ability to manage some command line code in the systems of Linux.

The time of the deployment depends on the complexity of the architecture. For example, if we install it in one node, it can take a maximum of one hour. However, when we install in the multi-node system. A complex installation can take over three days.

What about the implementation team?

We provide the services for our customers, the fabric, and the training centers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the solution is low. 

The total cost of our projects is low. For example, if we compare Zimbra Collaboration with Microsoft, the license of one account they are probably the same price. However, after the initial licensing, to add more options or use features in the Microsoft solution you must purchase them. In Zimbra, when we buy a license, there are only two levels of license. If we buy the premium license, we have almost all the features activated in our license.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to those wanting to implement Zimbra Collaboration is they will have to have some experience in the manipulation of Linux systems. If there are issues with Zimbra Collaboration there should be someone with experience. If there is no one with experience with the ability to manage Linux systems, you will not be able to troubleshoot any problem in Zimbra Collaboration.

I rate Zimbra Collaboration an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Specialist at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Fast, reliable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "A lot of other products like Microsoft Exchange offer email or collaboration features, but they are not as fast as Zimbra."
  • "I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

What is most valuable?

Zimbra is open source. They got absorbed by Yahoo, but they're still primarily open-source and have continued to extend their technology. A lot of other products like Microsoft Exchange offer email or collaboration features, but they are not as fast as Zimbra. And with Exchange, it's not easy to purchase the license. And Zimbra is more reliable in terms of integration.

What needs improvement?

Yahoo acquired Zimbra, and Yahoo Mail is a web-based email, not a software platform. So as part of the acquisition, they have to continue providing support to the open-source license holders. But lately, they have decreased their support for the open-source community, and they're pivoting to the enterprise market. So they're starting to transition to a proprietary cloud-based solution. And when they adopt this proprietary solution, it won't be good. So hopefully, in the future, they'll continue to offer an open-source version. That's what makes Zimbra trustworthy for users as an email host. Email is still essential for communities and businesses. Even if you are currently using instant messaging or any communications tool, you still need email. 

Maybe Zimbra can improve by implementing an architecture that mimics social media, like offering short messages instead of just email. Instant messaging can mean light messaging or group messaging, like a B2B chat or something like that.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Zimbra for about four or five years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Zimbra is roughly as scalable as Microsoft, but I haven't deployed Zimbra for any huge clients yet. For example, all of my clients have fewer than 2,000 users. So if they had more than 2,000, I couldn't say whether Zimbra could manage that or not. But I know that Microsoft can work with clients that serve 10,000-plus users. 

So in my experience, I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many.

How was the initial setup?

It's easy for me because I have worked with Zimbra concepts since Yahoo acquired it in 2007, but I can't speak for the average users.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Zimbra Collaboration eight out of 10. It stacks up well compared to OWA or Microsoft Exchange. I've developed solutions for my clients using all of these. And compared to other web applications, I prefer the web-hosted Zimbra. I think Zimbra is more reliable and competitive than Microsoft because they offer an open-source version. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Consultant at NDS
MSP
Has all collaboration features and very good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "It has all collaboration features, such as document sharing, video conferencing, chatting, task sharing, and calendar sharing."
  • "Zimbra should provide a desktop client. Right now, we are using a web browser for accessing our emails. There should also be a desktop client."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it as an email server and collaboration suite.

What is most valuable?

It has all collaboration features, such as document sharing, video conferencing, chatting, task sharing, and calendar sharing.

It is awesome in terms of stability and scalability.

What needs improvement?

Zimbra should provide a desktop client. Right now, we are using a web browser for accessing our emails. There should also be a desktop client.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is very good. We have approximately 900 users. We have one person for its maintenance.

How are customer service and support?

Their technical support is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We migrated from IBM Lotus Domino.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are using perpetual licenses. We have deployed it in our local data center, and we buy perpetual licenses on a per-user basis.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Zimbra Collaboration an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zimbra Collaboration Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zimbra Collaboration Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.