SherWeb 
Hosted Exchange VS Google Apps VS Zimbra... On your mark, get set, go!
So we decided to create our very own email hosting Olympics, pitting the industry’s two fiercest competitors against each other: Microsoft Hosted Exchange 2010 and Google Apps, plus a third whose performance just might surprise us: Zimbra.
Feel free to share this Infographic with your friends.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box, below.
(Click to enlarge)
The graphic is cool, except for the numerous factual errors:
Support: Google offers free 24/7 support
Cost: Hosted Exchange is 30% to 80% more expensive when you look at TCO compared to Google Apps
Privacy Policy: Google Apps for Business does NOT allow the use of customer data for advertising. GAFB does include a privacy policy and terms of service that clearly state that all customer content is confidential and proprietary to the customer; Google has no access to corporate data.
No Advertising to Users: There is NO advertising to users with Google Apps for Business.
Full Integration with Outlook. With Google Apps Sync for MS Outlook installed, Outlook uses the same MAPI interface to talk to Google Apps as it does to Exchange. The user experiences are nearly identical
Data Center Locations: Google keeps data center locations secret as part of its physical security measures. Google Apps for Business is SSAE-16, ISO 27001, and FISMA certified — most Hosted Exchange providers are NOT. Google stores data in data center where privacy and security protections are as least as great as the United States. Google Apps is good enough for Top Secret and above US Government and Dept of Defense information.
Also completely incorrect about Zimbra. I realize you guys are probably a Microsoft reseller, but did you even bother to do research?
Proven track record: Zimbra has been around since 2007 and is a part of VMware, the leading cloud software provider. Zimbra has over 100 million paid mailboxes worldwide, easily surpassing Google and rapidly gaining on Exchange. Zimbra also has hundreds of third-party partners offering everything from licenses to on-site professional services to completely hosted enterprise-class email solutions. I’d call that a “proven track record”
Familiar features: Zimbra’s included Outlook connector enables users to continue to use the familiar Outlook interface, as well as Zimbra’s market-leading web interface.
Support: 24/7 phone support is included with your Zimbra license – all licenses are sold with support.
Migration support: Zimbra comes complete with multiple proven migration tools, from Exchange and other systems as well. Complete support for these tools is available as well as professional services to assist with your migration.
Cost: Exchange is FAR more expensive – Zimbra has half to a third of the TCO of Exchange. Licenses typically are half as expensive. Also Zimbra is licensed purely by the mailbox – no extra things like CALs to pay for!
Innovation: Zimbra typically releases a new major version every year. Coming within the next few months is Zimbra 8, with many new features and also a complete feature-parity virtual appliance – so you don’t have to worry about taking care of the underlying operating system, just install into your virtualized environment and go from install to inbox in 15 minutes!
Privacy: You can run Zimbra on your own premises and have complete privacy and security of your data. Or, you can choose one of Zimbra’s many hosting provider partners, none of whom include advertising either.
Full Outlook integration: Zimbra’s Outlook connector is included with the Professional Edition licenses of Zimbra. Also included with Pro are archiving and discovery features and built-in hierarchical storage management, which require expensive third-party bolt-on solutions in an Exchange environment.
Data center locations: Zimbra can be run in your own data center(s) or you can elect to go with any one of many hosted Zimbra providers, who would be more than happy to tell you where their data centers are (many are strictly US or EU based, for customers with those requirements.)
I like this graphic!
I think they’re right about outlook integration. With hosted exchange you sign up, you configure your mailbox and you’re good to go. Period.
Are you saying that with google apps or zimbra I have to download a connector, find the right version for my Mac, install it, configure it and then configure my mailbox?
That’s not an easy full outlook integration.
Stephen – any way you look at it, you still have to install and configure Outlook. With Zimbra and Google there’s just an extra step. This step can be handled and managed by your corporate IT department so that it’s invisible to the user. Or, users can just use Zimbra’s advanced web interface, which is more powerful than Outlook anyway.
Why bother installing the worst e-mail client ever (Outlook) for Google Apps?
If you are conservative by nature and you want to pay lots of money to keep what you got, stick to windows, outlook and exchange. If you are ready to move forward, you drop windows, outlook and exchange.
“the worst client, drop windows, stick on exchange” words, without examples of “good clients” – looks like you just one of those red-eyed boys, who think, that programmers must do all they can for free. What for I will do my work, as a developer, for free?