SWA’s multipane window, menus, and buttons offer an experience similar to that of Eudora, Outlook, or other e-mail clients. SWA has a familiar folder tree for organizing messages. Creating messages in plain text or HTML was no problem, nor was looking up addresses in the Scalix global directory, LDAP, or local address book. This high comfort level extended to working with the calendar.

SWA performance was fast, as the application and folders are cached on the local computer. I could compose and send new messages from the moment I logged in. Drag-and-drop functionality, which is uncommon for a Web app, allowed me to do all the expected desktop tasks, such as moving messages from one folder to another or rearranging calendar appointments. Furthermore, all features worked problem-free using Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Firefox.

As opposed to OWA, SWA allows you to work with whole folders, rather than having to page through to find a message. However, I would like to see more robust search -- an edge for Zimbra.

For wireless e-mail, Scalix offers the separate NotifyLink for Scalix from Notify Technology. This is a combination gateway server that communicates with the Scalix mail server and clients. Although this does add a bit more complexity to a Scalix setup, it’s in line with other solutions in this class.

Going beyond client interoperability, Scalix also coexists with Exchange servers using TNEF (Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format). Implementing this is a larger project that would typically require Scalix professional services. Finally, Scalix has a certification program, ScalixReady, for spam, anti-virus, and commercial backup products. This allows IT managers to know whether Scalix 10 will work with tools already in place.

Scalix proved to me it knows its way around MAPI better that any non-Microsoft vendor I’ve encountered. Combine that with SWA’s  rich functionality and the product’s Linux and OpenMail underpinning, and Scalix delivers an industrial-strength solution.

Zimbra Collaboration Suite 3.0

ZCS (Zimbra Collaboration Suite) 3.0 consists of a messaging server that users access with the AJAX Web client. This solution is available as an Open Source Edition and a Network Edition (which I tested). Network-only functions include a connector for Outlook 2003, searching of e-mail attachments (more than 200 types), and important administrative capabilities, such as individual mailbox restore.

Still, both versions are rooted in open source and Web services, which gives organizations tricked-up extensibility. For example, a user could hover over a purchase order number in an e-mail and see remaining funds, then click to approve the expenditure request. These mashups (called Zimlets) can extend to external systems for tracking shipments, making VoIP phone calls, or viewing maps of locations.

Installing ZCS requires basic Linux command-line skills, and the process is well documented. Performing the basic setup and then provisioning accounts from the AJAX console required a few hours. I enabled Active Directory integration, which permitted single sign-on and access to global address lists. Moreover, I had no trouble migrating accounts from an Exchange 2003 server to Zimbra.