Zimbra Collaboration Suite Rocks!

Google today changed some features on their highly used gmail eMail system that both pleased me and also led me to think that they still don't come close to meeting the richness of Zimbra Collaboration Suite. 

Gmail has, in their words, "pruned our pixels" and made it easier to get to your contacts and tasks. Don't get me wrong, I think gmail is a terrific cloud-service; but, with respect to Zimbra however, it just pales by comparison. Our dollar for dollar evaluation, Zimbra comes out on top...way on top!

Zimbra Collaboration Suite -- My 5 Favourite Features

1. Over-the-Air Sync. I don't know about you, but I do not solely work in one space. I rely heavily on my mobile devices to get me through daily challenges. No longer having to delete emails twice or import a calendar or update a contact through tethering keeps all my information current to the minute.

2. User Interface. Version 5 was wonderful, but version 6 has made navigation through the suite a breeze with little or no training required. For one example: I often  drag and drop an email drop it on a calendar date and a meeting is automatically generated with details filled in from the email and includes recipients...I just modify slightly and send. Simple.

3. Sharing. Nearly everything inside of the suite itself is sharable amongst your peers--a big reason why it's called a "collaboration suite". Share everything from RSS feeds, documents, resources to calendars.

4. Administration. With the ability to assign a variety of permission levels, individual users have more control of setting up the suite to suit their individual needs and reduce the overall requirement for technical help. I love the control and personalization!

5. Instant Messaging. Perhaps my favorite feature of all (much to the chagrin of my colleagues I'm sure) is the ability to speak to all of my collaborators instantly, receive feedback and track that conversation for later use in other streams of communication. Either working remotely or multi-tasking at my desk, IM brings me closer to the team around me...it's just like being there.

For my money (and little money indeed) the greatest value around is with Zimbra Collaboration Suite 6.0!