Zimbra Blog

Smartsheet Adoption On the Rise – Check It Out

Posted in Community, Open Source, Partners, Zimlets by Andrew Hawthorn on November 11th, 2011

Our partners at Smartsheet just passed their one year anniversary of launching an integration with VMware Zimbra.  And looking back, we’ve seen a strong increase in Zimbra users embracing the online project management and collaboration app.  In fact, Smartsheet continues to be a favorite, now ranking as a “Top 5 Most Popular App” in the Zimbra Zimlet Gallery. Smartsheet now claims more than 100 joint customers with Zimbra!

For Zimbra users, Smartsheet serves as the perfect union between spreadsheets, project tools and file sharing. While most work projects take shape as a spreadsheet, they break down when you need to get others involved. There’s no way to easily track versions, much less associate notes, share files, set reminders and so forth. Smartsheet allows Zimbra users to keep the spreadsheet layout you like (and already know how to use) and gain the additional automation you need.

For Smartsheet, the momentum is exciting because Zimbra customers typically represent larger enterprise deployments and provide a higher average contribution to the bottom line. That’s smart business.

Why the uptick in momentum?
In addition to solving a real business need, here are a few other reasons that contribute to the popularity of the combined solution:

  • Extends the functionality of both apps. The apps are a natural fit. You can show key project dates in Zimbra or overlay a Zimbra calendar directly to a project calendar in Smartsheet. In one click, you can import Zimbra contacts into Smartsheet for easy collaborating and sharing sheets. You can also attach documents from Zimbra briefcase to any row. The apps make each other more useful, valuable.
  • Convenient access. With Smartsheet available as a tab within Zimbra, access is seamless and easy. No more having to navigate to a separate web application.
  • Scales for enterprise. The combination of Smartsheet’s cloud app being “always available” with the viral nature of “sharing sheets” causes adoption to spread organically across the organization. And because it’s so flexible to set up and use, we’re seeing teams from project management to marketing, operations, HR processes, and sales pipelines, all embrace the tool. After all, everyone has work to manage.
  • Provides admin controls and security safeguards required by larger organizations. Most simple web apps don’t offer provisioning controls at a centralized level. Smartsheet is “enterprise ready”, providing group tools for onboarding and monitoring users, transferring ownership of content and managing data access. Providing the ability to self-manage the deployment and ongoing maintenance of accounts and content is definitely one of the must-haves for apps to succeed in larger settings.

Thank you Zimbra community. While Smartsheet’s momentum encourages us, we understand we’ve just scratched the surface. We’re committed to working closely with Smartsheet — and all of our integration partners — to create more value for VMware Zimbra customers.



Join VMware Zimbra in Philadelphia, PA at EDUCAUSE 2011

Posted in Community, Education, News, Partners by Greg Armanini on October 11th, 2011

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at this year’s EDUCAUSE 2011 Conference in Philadelphia!  We have a lot to share with you this year as we continue in our mission to deliver technologies and infrastructure that enhance the way people work in the post-PC era.

We’re especially excited to show you a sneak peek of what is coming in ZCS 8.0 and an early preview of our new file sharing application, Project Octopus.  And, we’d like to invite you to our VMware Cocktail Reception on Tuesday evening.  This year we’ll be in historic downtown Philadelphia at Del Frisco’s.  Also, please stop by and see us in booth #1439.


VMware Zimbra Roadmap Presentation on Tuesday, 10/18 at 2:30 PM

Please join us for the Zimbra Roadmap Presentation on Tuesday, October 18th at 2:30 PM.  During this Roadmap presentation, you will learn more about the exciting new features being developed for our biggest release ever, ZCS 8.0! You’ll get a sneak peek at some of the new features including priority inbox, social mail, calendars with activity streams and new self-service administration tools. You will also get an early preview of our new secure, cloud-based file sharing application, Project Octopus, designed to transform the way people collaborate.

Space is limited, please RSVP by Friday, October 14th to reserve your seat.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
2:30-4 PM

Location:
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Napoli Room
1201 Filbert Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-567-2020




VMware Cocktail Reception on Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30 PM

You are cordially invited to the VMware Cocktail Reception on Tuesday, October 18th in Philadelphia, PA.  This year, we have selected a great spot in the heart of the Center City Philadelphia at Del Frisco’s in the historical First Pennsylvania Bank Building. We look forward to spending an evening with great friends over cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres!

Space is limited so please RSVP by Friday, October 14th.

Date and Time:
Tuesday, October 18
6:30-8:00 PM

Location:
Del Frisco’s
1426 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-246-0533


Visit VMware Zimbra Booth #1439

We’ll be showcasing ZCS and Project Octopus, along with demos of the other VMware products like View, Fusion, vSphere and SlideRocket.

We thank you for your continued support and feedback and we look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!



VMware Zimbra Enhances Enterprise Security with Proofpoint Integration

Posted in News, Partners, Zimbra Server, Zimlets by Greg Armanini on September 20th, 2011

Gartner Email Security 2011 Magic Quadrant

We’re pleased today Proofpoint, an industry leader in security and compliance solutions for enterprise messaging, announced they’ve integrated their Enterprise Protection™ and Enterprise Privacy™ solutions with VMware Zimbra Collaboration Server v7 .  This integration offers Zimbra customers access to advanced anti-spam, regulatory compliance, email encryption and data loss prevention capabilities.
Proofpoint worked with the Zimbra team to custom-engineer the integration of its solutions to provide users with maximum protection.  Features include:

  • An virtual appliance with machine learning technology that delivers 99.8%+ anti-spam effectiveness against all types of spam and phishing attacks
  • Direct integration within the Zimbra UI- users may mark messages “spam” or “not spam” and the feedback provides additional tuning to the Proofpoint service in real-time
  • Securely send encrypted messages within Zimbra through a Proofpoint Zimlet extension (available in Zimbra 7.1.3)
  • Administrators may enable robust outbound filtering in Zimbra on messages for data loss prevention and privacy compliance

Special Introductory Offers

As part of the launch, Proofpoint is offering qualified Zimbra Network Edition customers a free one-year subscription to its Proofpoint Enterprise Protection virtual appliance.

The Proofpoint team is also offering new Zimbra customers a free 60-day trial to its Enterprise Privacy virtual appliance.

Visit www.proofpoint.com/zimbra to learn more.


The Zimbra team is excited to add Proofpoint to our growing and open ecosystem; it’s another example of how Zimbra partners and customers can easily integrate with the Zimbra Collaboration Server via our open APIs and Zimlet framework.  Learn more by checking out the Zimbra Gallery and Community over over 45,000 members.

Stay tuned in future months as we make available other integrated offerings in such areas as security, mobility, storage, unified communications, and cloud management of Zimbra.



Visit Zimbra at VMworld 2011

Posted in Community, Education, News, Partners by Donna Kuker on August 17th, 2011

August 29-September 1 at The Venetian in Las Vegas
October 18-20, Bella Center, Copenhagen

We are just three weeks away from VMworld 2011 and we are looking forward to showcasing Zimbra products, including a sneak peek of ZCS 8 and some new products we are working on!

VMworld 2011 is a great way to learn about the latest technology innovations with more than 175 breakout sessions and labs-featuring topics that will cover everything from virtualizing business critical applications to integrating social collaboration tools that enhance productivity.  Plus, VMworld offers additional learning opportunities, such as the Knowledge Experts Program, numerous networking events, and the Solutions Exchange, featuring over 250 companies.

Whether you’re new to VMworld or have attended before, VMworld 2011 is a great way to learn about the latest technology innovations and network with your peers and industry experts.  And, you won’t want to miss this year’s party with the band, The Killers!

Below is a list of the Zimbra activities that we have planned. If you have not already registered and you would like to attend this year’s event, click on the link below to get to the registration page.  We hope to see you at VMworld 2011 in Las Vegas!

Speaking & Group Sessions

  1. VMware Zimbra: Next Generation Collaboration for Your Cloud: John Robb & Sam Khavari
  2. Plan, Build and Deliver a VMware Zimbra Cloud Application Business: Jing To & Azdio Ballesteros
  3. VMware Zimbra: Better Than Exchange: Jon Dybik
  4. Zimbra the New SMB Game Changer: Paul Murphy
  5. Zimbra Group Discussion: John Robb

Education & Hands-on Lab

  1. Exploring your Core Email and Collaboration Services Migration Options: Anup Patwardhan & Azdio Ballesteros

VMware Booth

  • Product Demos in the VMware Booth Genius Bar
  • Theater presentations
  • Meet the team!

To register for VMworld click here!



Join VMware Zimbra in Hannover, Germany at CeBIT

Posted in News, Partners by Greg Armanini on February 22nd, 2011

CeBIT 2011, the largest tech industry event in the world, is just around the corner (March 1st – 5th) in Hannover, Germany.  This year VMware and Zimbra are exhibiting together and you will be able to learn firsthand about Zimbra virtualization and the all-new Zimbra Collaboration Server 7.

Please stop by for a personal demo:

VMware Stand
Halle 2, Stand A 30

Visit our CeBIT web page to learn more about the speaking schedule and/or receive a free exhibition pass.



Zimbra vs Google Apps Webinar and More

Posted in Community, Education, Partners, Zimbra Server, Zimbra Web Client by Greg Armanini on January 18th, 2011

Tomorrow the VMware and Zimbra team will be hosting a live webinar covering some key differences between Zimbra and Google Apps.   It will be quite informative and an opportunity to ask questions of the Zimbra team; here is the webinar information from the Zimbra Webinar Series:

Zimbra Collaboration Suite vs. Google Apps

There are significant benefits of placing business critical applications such as email and collaboration in the cloud. Invest 45 minutes and learn what the key differentiators are when it comes to secure, cloud-based email and collaboration.

Topics covered in the LIVE webinar include:

  • Key feature & benefits comparison
  • Live Zimbra Demo
  • Q&A Session with Zimbra Product Team

Wednesday, January 19th
10:00 AM – US Pacific Standard Time

Register

If you cannot attend in person tomorrow, a recording will be available about a week after.   Please be sure to visit our webinar page where you can find it as well as other upcoming webinars; here is a tentative upcoming webinar list:

Jan 19th
Zimbra vs. Google Apps

Feb 9th
Zimbra 7.0 Launch – Live Demo

March 2nd
Zimbra vs. GroupWise

March 16th
Zimbra vs. MS Exchange



Visit Zimbra at this year’s Open World Forum in Paris

Posted in /etc, Community, News, Partners by Virginie Letessier on September 27th, 2010

We’re excited to be part of our first Open World Forum (September 30th and October 1st, Eurosites Georges V, Paris), where we’ll take center stage to showcase Zimbra products.

The Open World Forum is the world’s leading summit meeting bringing together decision-makers and communities to cross-fertilize open technological, economic and social initiatives to build the digital future. Beyond the forum itself, it hosts several ambitious initiatives. It also delivers and debates each year the 2020 Free Libre and Open Source Software Roadmap.

Below is a list of the Zimbra activities that we have planned. If you have not already signed-up and you would like to attend this year’s event, click on any of the links below to get to the registration pages. We hope that you can join us at the Open World Forum in Paris!

Seminar slot in Open IT Showroom:
Lessons from the Cloud: How Application clouds are evolving to meet New End User, Administrator and Datacenter trends” presented by Lars Ronning on September 30th from 11:30am to 12:00pm. openworldforum.org/attend/agenda

Round table:
Vision For The Cloud: Open Cloud – Empowering the digital future” with Lars Ronning on September 30th from 2pm to 3pm. openworldforum.org/attend/agenda/open-cloud-conference

Come and meet the team!



Join The Zimbra Advisory Meeting at VMworld

Posted in Community, News, Partners by Greg Armanini on August 20th, 2010

VMworld is just around the corner, and not only is it VMware’s most important event of the year, it’s also shaping up to be big for Zimbra too.  We will be exhibiting with our new organization for the first time, showing off the new Zimbra Appliance and talking a lot more about the future of Zimbra and VMware together.

On the later point, we also want to provide an opportunity for attendees and customers in the general vicinity to hear about the Zimbra roadmap and provide us directional feedback away from the bustle of the show floor.  As such we are having an Advisory Meeting and breakfast on Wednesday September 1st.  The meeting is offsite at the W Hotel, so both show attendees and non-attendees are welcome.

Topics will include ZCS 7.0 features, Zimbra Appliance and Zimbra Desktop plus a round table discussion with the Zimbra product leadership team.

Date:     Wednesday September 1, 2010

Time:     8am – 10am

Location:     W Hotel, San Francisco

Space is limited and breakfast will be served, please RSVP to confirm your space and room location to: events@zimbra.com.

Zimbra at VMworld 2010 TEX

Also – for those planning on attending VMworld please remember the Tech Exchange where you can learn about Zimbra APIs, building Zimlets and more from the Zimbra product and development teams.

Please note if you cannot make the Advisory this time we will continue to host more in the future at major events!



Zimbra Appliance: Your Collaboration Cloud To Deploy Anywhere

Posted in News, Partners, Zimbra Server by John Robb on August 10th, 2010

2010 has been a busy year for the Zimbra team since we joined VMware in February.  And today, we are excited to announce the launch of the Zimbra Appliance.

The Zimbra Appliance is our first major step post acquisition to integrate Zimbra and VMware products and provide a simplified IT experience for administrators and their users.  We have spent the last 5 months speaking with VMware and Zimbra customers and re-affirming their need for a simplified collaboration software stack that embraces the IT Platform of the future.

The call for simplicity reflects changes in the overall IT landscape driven by the evolution of user, administrator and datacenter requirements – many of these inspired by events in the consumer market.   Whether it is the simplicity of the Amazon Kindle, the open platform of Facebook or the cross platform support of Twitter, users and administrators expect applications to be easier to use and deliver than ever before.

Here is a summary of market drivers influencing the launch of Zimbra Appliance:

User:

Users want applications to be available on any device, anywhere and anytime.  These applications need to be available using traditional desktop clients and via the browser.  The collaboration cloud is a hub for communications: regardless of device, the user has the context he needs to make decisions — like what flights to take, which purchase orders to accept/reject, or what information should be synced with the CRM system. Additionally, users want to be able to share information with co-workers, partners and other external users.  Ted Schadler at Forrester recently wrote about this need to empower users.

Based on these needs and core to the Zimbra Appliance is our support for Zimbra Desktop, an offline cache of the user’s collaboration cloud, and our browser-based support for desktop, touchpad and mobile browsers.  Additionally, we continue our support for legacy email clients (Microsoft Outlook) and a wide range of mobile devices (iPhone, Android and BlackBerry).

Administrator:

Administrators’ requirements have also changed and now require a simpler application stack that is easier to deploy, manage and update.  Administrative innovations from companies like Saleforce.com and Successfactors have made it easier to deploy, manage and update applications that provide web-based administration tools and a complete software stack (application, operating system and update tools).

As part of offering a collaboration cloud as a complete software bundle, administrators are able to deploy the Zimbra Appliance in under 10 minutes.  Beyond a quick set up, the Zimbra Appliance provides administrative tools for self-service, auto update, security policy control and the ability to remotely wipe a mobile device wipe.

Datacenter:

The last key change in the IT market that is driving simplification is that organizations want to deploy applications in a private or public cloud.  In order to maximize flexibility and drive down the total cost of ownership, applications need to be portable and provide support for standards-based virtualization (OVF) and cross platform back up tools.

The Zimbra team has worked closely with hosting providers like Hosting.com and Contegix as well as many small businesses to make sure that the Appliance can be easily moved from private to personal clouds.  Additionally, the Zimbra Appliance supports VMware’s Data Recovery so that administrators can manage multiple applications with a common back up and recovery tool.

This is just the first step on our efforts to integrate with other VMware products and continue our mission is to simplify IT and to provide a collaboration cloud that can run anywhere.  Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

Check out a video of the Zimbra Appliance for more information: