What is Zarafa? How Can I Benefit From the BEST Open-Source Email and Collaboration Application?

what is zarafa how can i benefit from the best open source email and collaboration application

Zarafa is the ultimate open source email and collaboration application that has proven to be a better, more cost effective, fully transparent alternative to the Microsoft Exchange Server.

Zarafa is one of Deloitte’s Top 50 Technology Fast-Growth Companies and there’s no doubt as to the reasons. Companies that have made the switch are boasting about:

  • Stability and Reliability
  • Speed and Ease of Use
  • Scalability and Growth
  • Fast Setup Process, Easy Migration and Full Transparency
  • and tons of Additional Features including IM, Spreed, Dropbox and Owncloud support and much more.

What Can Zarafa Do for Your Business?

Given how critical email and other communication/collaboration services are to business, reliability is always a crucial aspect of the email provider selection process. Uptime and data replication are only as good as a provider’s infrastructure and experience – as well as the capabilities of the service itself. Zarafa’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and proven industry experience are unbeatable.

What alternative email solution is better than Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange and its associated Outlook client have been the face of enterprise communications for many years and are pretty much synonymous with the idea of work email. That does not mean, however, that there are not open source alternatives. There is a slate of clients/email servers that replicate the functions of Microsoft’s email solutions and not only have transparent code but plug into Linux server backends. One of the most well-known is Zarafa.

Zarafa released its email client/server technology as open source in 2008. Its distinguishing feature is that it is offered as a full-fledged, transparent replacement for Exchange, giving all its benefits as well as some additional features not available on the proprietary system:

Similarities

Zarafa has maintained an almost identical look and feel compared to Outlook, which is good news for any organization that decides to switch over as users can easily adjust. It not only is familiar in layout but carries similar features such as the address book, calendar, and public folders to which Outlook users have become accustomed. It also provides connectivity with Outlook by means of a plugin. Microsoft uses the proprietary Messaging API (MAPI) for communication between Exchange and Outlook. Zafara has implemented its own version (Mapi4Linux) for compatibility. Like Exchange it can also perform authentication through LDAP and Active Directory.

Differences

Linux is the platform of choice for Zafara, as you would expect, and it plugs into a MySQL database for added security. In addition to the difference in OS, the email client for Zafara is an AJAX-based web-app as opposed to being a stand-alone application like Outlook, giving it high accessibility as well as ease of use from mobile devices. As with all open-source solutions, it is cheaper than Exchange to license but not entirely free, as it comes in Standard, Professional, and Enterprise editions at different price points.

IT Consulting A Service Needed Now More Than Ever

Information Technology consulting for businesses is more important these days than it has ever been before due to the current proliferation of new technologies that are allowing businesses of all sizes to maximize efficiency and cut costs. In fact we are almost blurring the line between traditional business and “tech” business as IT resources become more and more necessary for the operations of almost every company small or large.

Today’s modern business employee is offered an array of options that – almost coincidentally – reduce overhead, better manage personnel and minimize the effort needed to maintain your business mission itself. Let us examine the most popular and effective new technologies a business has at its disposal:

Managed IT Services

Rather than hiring on-site personnel allow AE Technology Group, an MSP (Managed Service Provider) that is always on the bleeding edge of technology to take over and streamline all of your IT needs so that you may focus all your time on your business and your customers. We provide, support, implement, and educate all our clients on the newest technologies they need to be industry leaders.

Cloud Computing

Uses web-based software and safeguards your data storage through a public or private cloud in order to avoid heavy startup costs, licensing fees, upgrades, and all the hassles of software/data maintenance. Your business is available from any device in any location.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Uses effective software systems to hold on to leads, close sales, manage feedback within your sales pipeline, and much more.

E-Mail

Almost everyone these days uses email on some level but an organization can get so much more if it uses email and its collaboration tools properly. Hosted email solutions manage email economically and avoid the costs of downtime and server maintenance.

Data Protection

Given the resources that potential malicious attackers have to your important data it is more crucial than ever to find the solution to keeping your information secure.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Traditional phone line systems such as key systems and PBX can be relatively inflexible and costly. Managing phone lines over Internet Protocol as you do your other Internet resources reduces costs, improves quality, and opens you up to a new array of applications such as video conferencing.

All of these solutions can increase productivity, reduce costs, and effectively make your business more profitable if implemented and managed properly. Expert IT consulting can make these technologies work for you. Contact us to learn more.

Doctors and Physicians are Moving Their Offices to the Cloud

doctors and physicians are moving their offices to the cloud
cloud-doctor

Doctors are implementing cloud based solutions to manage their offices, improve communication, store sensitive patient information safe and securely. Moving to the cloud has proved to be cost effective and has shown an increase in productivity for the small to medium size medical service providers than are utilizing it.

Using the cloud based CRM or customer relationship management software iceCRM, physicians offices have billing and scheduling solutions that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Patient’s records are stored in a centralized location making them available at all office locations. With cloud solutions, recovering from a computer crash can be done in a fraction of the time!

Mobilized open source solutions like Zarafa allow doctors to improve communication through email and calendars making it much easier to collaborate. Zarafa has proven to be more cost effective with better security than Microsoft Outlook.

Using a cloud storage solution such as ASK4Cloud, secured access to medical records, notes, test results, cardiology and radiology images, and other sensitive data is provided for the staff at all times, with the data backing up in real time.

If you are a doctor or office manager you may be using cloud based tools already such as box.net, Dropbox or Google Drive to store your office files. As a medical service provider a private cloud storage solution that has been approved for sensitive data such as patient records should be considered. Currently there are only a few solutions available in the market today that meet these requirements. ASK4Cloud ensures patient privacy and provides the highest form of encryption available today.

Is Open Source Software Right for My Business?

Open Source software is defined as computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source definition or that is in the public domain. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open Source software is the most prominent example of Open Source development and is often compared to user-generated content. The term Open Source software originated as part of a marketing campaign for free software. A report by Standish Group states that adoption of Open Source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.

Key Benefits of Chosing Open Source Solutions

  • Lowest TCO
  • Improved security
  • Reliability
  • Stability
  • Ease of use
  • Green initiative by reducing resources

AE Technology Group can implement Open Source Solutions for your business needs.

Whether it be hosting your own email or creating a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool that is customized to your company’s workflow, AE Technology Group has the expertise and partnerships to make it happen.

Open Source Solutions

Zarafa- The world’s number one alternative to MS Exchange. Zarafa has all the features of MS Exchange at 50% of the cost. Zarafa does not require an IT infrastructure. Zarafa gives you the flexibility and stability that comes with Open Source software and world class support.

iceCRM- A full-featured, 100% Open Source CRM software ideal for small and medium sized businesses at a fraction of the cost of other CRM software. iceCRM provides a complete set of CRM capabilities, such as Sales Force and Marketing Automation; Activity, Security, and Inventory Mangaement; Customer Support and Service; Calendaring; and Email Integration. It also provides enterprise grade business productivity enhancement add-ons: Customer Portal; Outlook Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook users; Office Plug-in for Microsoft Word users; and Thunderbird Extension for Thunderbird mail users.

Contact AE Technology Group’s Office Today and learn how we can save your company money with Open Source Solutions.