Differences Between Zimbra 8 and 9

The transition from Zimbra 8 to Zimbra 9 (or major version updates in general) brought significant innovations, especially with the release of Zimbra 9. Most of these innovations focused on modernizing the platform and enhancing its collaboration features.

Here are the key innovations introduced with Zimbra 9 that make a difference for Zimbra 8 users:

1. Modern User Interface (Modern UI)

The biggest change in Zimbra 9 is the introduction of a completely redesigned, fast, and modern user interface (Modern UI).

• This new interface aims to improve user experience and compete with modern email applications.
• Note: The Zimbra Modern UI is a feature included in the Network Edition, not the open-source version.

2. Extended Collaboration Features

Zimbra 9 added built-in collaboration tools to provide similar functionality to competitors like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

• Built-in Chat and Video: Internal chat, video, and file sharing features are integrated.
• Zimbra Connect: Zimbra Connect is a module that comes pre-installed within Zimbra 9 and can operate with a licensing model.

3. Enhanced Integration and Extensibility

Zimbra 9 has greatly improved third-party integrations and customization capabilities.

• 3rd Party Integrations: Offers extensibility with Zoom, Slack, Dropbox, WebEx, Google Drive, and more.
• New Zimlet Framework: A new Zimlet Framework is introduced for customizations.
• Evernote Integration: Evernote integration is available for adding notes to email, calendar, tasks, etc.

4. Security and Protocol Enhancements

Updates have been made to improve system security and performance:

• TLS 1.3 Support: Zimbra has started offering TLS 1.3 support, a new encryption protocol update that is faster and more secure than TLS 1.2.
• Password Enhancements: Password enhancements have been implemented to increase security.
• Hashing Algorithm Change: The hashing algorithm has been switched from MD5 to SHA-256 to resolve compatibility issues related to digital signatures.

5. Other Key Developments

• Easy Upgrade: An easy upgrade path is provided for the transition to Zimbra 9 based on the “Migration Not Required” principle (preserving your existing data).
• Desktop Application: Offline support has been added to the desktop application.
• Zimbra Connector for Outlook (ZCO): Hierarchical Address Book Support is offered in the Zimbra Connector for Outlook.