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Zimbra Email & Collaboration Platform



Service Announcement


We are delighted to announce that the Zimbra Email & Collaboration Platform has now been formally added to our Service Catalogue. If you would like to purchase the service or need support on it, please contact us in the normal way.

Service Name

Zimbra Email & Collaboration Platform

Service Category

Communication & Collaboration

Service Dates

This service was added to our service catalogue on 31st January 2021. We anticipate this to be a long term service offer.

Service Description

The Zimbra Email & Collaboration Platform is managed service that offers users a range of features including mailbox hosting, webmail, video conferencing, file sharing and real-time document collaboration.

Service Mandate

This service was assessed and added to our catalogue in order to fill a gap as one of our Hosted Exchange platforms is scheduled to terminate at the end of April 2021. At the same time Zimbra fits our philosophy and remains competitive in terms of features and price.


Service Features


Zimbra Email Hosting

Zimbra is a modern email hosting platform suitable for any size of business. The service runs POP3, IMAP, SMTP and Exchange Web Services so you can access email on any compatible device – mobile, tablet, PC or Mac.

Mail Security

Mail security is built in to Zimbra. Inbound email runs through spam and virus filters and an anti-spoofing tool while outbound mail security helps to ensure your customers and suppliers receive only genuine email from your domain.

Email Archiving

Read-only folders can be created in your mailbox called “Inbox Archive” and “Sent Archive” displaying the contents of the archive’s Inbox and Sent folders respectively.

Email Recovery

Users that have deleted email and emptied their deleted items folder can still recover emails later depending upon how the service is set up. The default is 7 days but this can be extended to 90 days.

Email Encryption

Email encryption using S/MIME is available.

Zimbra Web Client

The web client is an attractive, fast, highly configurable web based tool that incorporates the email client. When additional features are unlocked they can all be accessed and managed from here.

Zimbra Sync & Security Options

Zimbra provides the latest version of Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), so your users can sync their mailbox, calendar, contacts and tasks to their mobile devices while the Allow/Block/Quarantine (ABQ) feature allows granular control of which mobile devices can connect to the server. This pre-emptive security feature allows us to monitor which mobile devices accessing the Zimbra server.

Connector for Outlook

If some of your users work with Microsoft Outlook for Windows, Zimbra provides a MAPI connector that allows your users to see their entire Zimbra mailbox right in outlook. This now includes Zimbra Partial Sync so a subset of email can be saved to Outlook with the remaining data saved back on the Zimbra Server.

Exchange Web Services for Apple

If your users are using an enterprise email client like Microsoft Outlook in Mac OS X, Zimbra provides Exchange Web Services, so your users can connect their Zimbra mailbox in their favourite Apple Operating System.

Zimbra Connect

Chat and more, right in your Zimbra Web Client. Available for purchase for Zimbra Network Edition (and built right into the product!). Keep your team connected … now they can collaborate in one place with 1:1 and group chat, group and channel video calls, file sharing and screen sharing.

Zimbra Drive

Zimbra Drive is a file storage system right in the Zimbra Web Client. You can upload files to the server, view and manage them as you would in any other client and even edit them right in the web client with the optional Zimbra Docs. Files can be shared with other users who will be able to edit them in their own Zimbra web client. Zimbra Drive even has its own recycle bin so deleted items can be restores at a later date.

Zimbra Docs

Based on the amazing LibreOffice, Zimbra Docs users can create and collaborate real-time using documents, spreadsheets and presentations right inside the Zimbra Web Client. Files can be saved back to the Zimbra Drive or downloaded for local editing using LibreOffice or Microsoft Office.

Zimbra Data Quota

To keep costs down, each mailbox is given an adequate data quota, but this can be adjusted up or down depending upon the needs of the user.

Zimbra Data Residency

The servers used to host Zimbra are located in the UK.


Service Pricing


The prices shown below are per mailbox per month. We invoice for the service in advance and so your first invoice will typically include some pro-rata charges for the preceding calendar month.


Service Notes for Customers


Zimbra Outgoing Email Disclaimer

Zimbra supports a global outgoing email disclaimer on all emails you send. This is set on the server and so is appended to the very bottom of any emails you send. Please specify if you would like this feature enabled, and if so what text you would like us to enter. Note this is not the same as an email signature which is applied by your email client.

Zimbra Distribution Lists

Zimbra supports distribution lists so you can send an email to one address and it will automatically send to several other recipients. For example, an email address of managers@ could be used so that your email is delivered to certain members of staff. Please specify if you would like us to set this up.

Zimbra Alias Domains

Zimbra supports alias domains, so where you have extra domains to be associated with these mailboxes, we will add them as part of your email migration. Users will be able to specify their preferred “from” address in their web client.

Zimbra Virus & Content Handling

Zimbra Virus & Content Handling is enabled by default; we also block receipt of certain attachments that can be typically used to spread malware. Please ask if you require further details about this service which can be disabled or reconfigured on a per customer basis.

Zimbra Allow Lists & Block Lists

Zimbra supports allow lists and block lists so that inbound emails from certain addresses or domains can always be treated as safe (they bypass all security filters) or dangerous (they are always blocked). These lists are not populated with anything by default but we can add addressees or domains as required. Significant care should be taken when asking us to add items to the whitelist, so all other avenues for ensuring those genuine inbound emails are not treated as spam should be taken before adding anything to the allow list.

Zimbra Impersonated Email Security

Zimbra will attempt to detect inbound email that appears to have come from your own domain name but may have been sent from an unauthorised server. Such emails are likely to be phishing attacks. This is enabled by default and emails detected as a threat will have [ZIMBRA-IMPERSONATED] applied to the subject line.

Zimbra Notifications Email

Zimbra will send you an email if it has blocked a virus, malformed message or a harmful file. These are enabled by default, please let us know if you want them switched off. You will be given the opportunity to release some of these emails yourself.

Zimbra Close Match Email Security

Zimbra will attempt to detect inbound email that has come from domains similar to your own, for example when a number 1 is substituted for a lowercase l. This could indicate a phishing attack. This is enabled by default and emails detected as a threat will have [ZIMBRA-CLOSEMATCH] applied to the subject line.

Zimbra Encrypted Email with S/MIME

Zimbra Pro / Business / Enterprise Mailboxes have S/MIME included but disabled by default. Please call us if you want to have this enabled as you may require additional configuration and support.

Zimbra Data Residency

All of your data is hosted in the UK, so UK data protection laws such as GDPR apply.


User Documentation and Links


The following documentation and links are provided for convenience only and may not apply to your situation.

Zimbra Collaboration Suite User Guide (v9)

Zimbra Connector for Microsoft Outlook User Guide

Zimbra Host Support Pages

Setup Tips – Android

*** Note the domain\username field on Android setup has to be domainname.co.uk\emailaddress@domainname.co.uk

This page was last updated 22nd June 2021