Google Apps’ Weaknesses
- Mobile access is limited (no native sync or push email to your iPhone or Blackberry)
- No offline client (no internet access – can’t read your email)
- Lack of cross platform support (Zimbra is compatible with Outlook, Apple Mail, iCal, Evolution, iPhone, Blackberry, PDA’s, smart phones)
- Google Apps platform is based on a platform that is regarded as “worst on the web for privacy“ (London based Privacy International Group)
Zimbra Collaboration Suite versus Google Apps Premier (paid functionality of Google Apps) – a comparison
|
Category |
Feature |
Zimbra |
Google Apps |
|
Web-based Collaboration and Productivity |
Rich, cross-browser web interface |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Web mash-ups (Zimlets) + on-demand interaction w/external content |
Yes |
Limited |
|
|
Conversations |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Tags/Categories |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Group scheduling |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Resource (projectors, rooms, etc.) scheduling |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Group calendar with sharing and delegated access |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Tasks Sharing |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Contacts Sharing |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Briefcase (file storage/organizing) feature and sharing briefcases |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Subscribe to RSS/ATOM feeds |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
RSS feeds in a folder |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Integrated Calendar |
Yes |
No |
|
| Calendar: Publishing & subscribing to external calendar |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Calendar: CalDAV – standards-based interop with other calendar system |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
HTML views of attachments |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Rich web document authoring |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
File/document sharing |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Concurrent document editing |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Importing Word or Excel document |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Keyboard navigation/shortcuts |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Publish/subscribe content outside domain |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Comprehensive server-side indexing/search |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Attachment contents indexing/search |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Folders & sub folders support for efficient organization |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Email folders sharing & delegation |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Advanced visual search capabilities |
Yes |
No |
|
|
POP aggregation of other accounts |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
IMAP aggregation of other accounts |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Custom content object indexing/search |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Mobility, Platforms & 3rd Party Clients Compatibility
|
Native over-the-air sync of mail, contacts, calendar to Treo, Symbian, and Windows Mobile devices |
Yes |
Only sync of contacts and calendar |
|
Offline Desktop client that provides same experience as web client |
Yes |
Early beta |
|
| Exchange Interop capability (co-existence with Exchange email environment) |
Yes |
Only Sync Calendar entries with Outlook |
|
|
Native over-the-air sync of mail, contacts calendar to BlackBerry devices |
Yes |
Only sync for calendar and contacts |
|
|
Native over-the-air sync of mail, contacts calendar to iPhone |
Yes |
Only sync for calendar and contacts |
|
|
Access existing AOL, Gmail, & Y! Mail accounts through single client |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Outlook/MAPI over HTTP/S |
Yes |
No MAPI. IMAP for emails and calendar sync |
|
|
Outlook cached mode |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Outlook delegated access |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Mac desktop native client & protocol (iSync) support |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Linux desktop Evolution client support |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Native re-brandable web-based client |
Yes |
Only co-branding
|
|
|
Downloadable J2ME client |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Web-based administration |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Administration & Total Cost of Ownership |
|
|
|
|
On-premise or hosted solution |
Yes |
No (hosted only) |
|
|
Active Directory integration |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Comprehensive command line administration tools |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Multiple domains + domain-level administration/delegation |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Choice of Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus vendor/product |
Yes |
No |
|
| Clustering/High-Availability |
Yes |
99.9% availability |
|
|
Online mailbox-level backup/restore/move |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Hierarchical storage management |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Quota/Storage |
7 GB default but can be extended for free |
25 GB maximum |
|
|
Instant attachment conversion to HTML |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Domain-specific branding and themes |
Yes |
Limited |
|
|
End-User Privacy & Administrator Control
|
Maintain privacy by not mining message content & other info |
Yes |
Collect personal info to provide better “service” |
| System retain user searchable data for a period of time longer than certain privacy laws will allow |
No |
Yes (in certain countries) |
|
| Flexibility in the solution to apply policies that restrict messages with private information from being sent outside the organization |
Yes |
No |
|
| Provision all users on a single platform to ease management/reduce costs |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Increase max message size beyond 20MB |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Administrators level of system control |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Ability to scrutinize an individual user’s data without a subpoena |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Comprehensive Archiving and Discovery tools |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Not require ads be shown to alumni |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Does contract preclude ads from being shown after initial term |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Information Sharing |
No |
Non-personal information shared with 3rd party
|
|
|
Customization |
Tools for migrating from MS Exchange & and other collaboration solutions
|
Yes |
IMAP migration tool |
|
Customize logos, colors, domains |
Yes |
Co-branding only |
|
| “Class of Service” structure allowing Admin to set various features, storage quotas, etc., for different classes of users (vs. “1 size fits all”) |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Customize/change Email start page to suit customer
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
API access to Admin features + email/cal/contacts/Document |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Single Sign-On to the service provider’s broad content network (Groups, News, Advertising, etc.)
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
Portal |
Start page that provides access to email, news, feeds, etc |
No |
Yes |
|
Investment Protection |
Exit options for the future (migrating data to a 3rd party system) |
Yes |
Limited (only POP) |
|
Open source alternative |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Customization flexibility (themes/skins) |
Yes |
Limited |
|
|
Standards-based (web services enabled) extensibility to integrate 3rd party apps |
Yes |
Limited |