Mobile Messaging and Groupware Specialist Zarafa Named Red Hat Advanced ISV Partner

Press - 31/03/2010

Building on a history of collaboration with Red Hat, Netherlands-based Zarafa expands partnership, increases investment in open source solutions.

Munich, Germany, 31 March 2010 - Red Hat (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Zarafa, a fast-growing international Linux-based messaging and groupware vendor, with offices in Delft, The Netherlands, Stuttgart and Hannover, Germany, and Belo Horizonte (Brazil) has achieved Red Hat Advanced ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Partner status.

The Red Hat ISV Partner Program delivers resources and benefits to help ISVs align their business model and successfully leverage their partnership with Red Hat. A key feature of the program is in-depth technical support during the product development phase. Red Hat Advanced ISV Partners like Zarafa have access to the latest Red Hat software, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Enterprise Middleware in the development phase, meaning their products can be precisely tailored to Red Hat's solutions. In addition, Red Hat supports its Advanced ISV Partners during both the pre-sales and sales process, including providing assistance to enter new verticals.

"Zarafa has been in collaboration with Red Hat since 2006 to deliver advanced solutions to our joint customers. Together we have achieved positive results in several successful projects," said Brian Joseph, CEO at Zarafa. "We have provided customers with an opportunity to benefit from a combined solution, incorporating our email platform and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. We are excited to be a Red Hat Advanced ISV Partner, which enables us to offer seamless solutions to our mutual customers."

A recent customer win located in The Netherlands, is the St Antonius Hospital based in Utrecht and Nieuwegein. The hospital has migrated the first group of 5,000 internal users to a combination of Red Hat Directory Server, Zarafa collaboration solution and an open source desktop.

"We expect to save more than €1 million license costs over the next 4 years. The mobile compatibility in Zarafa enables doctors and specialists to access up to date mail and calendar information when travelling," said Gerrit Krediet, head of IT, St. Antonius Hospital.

Zarafa is the one of the few software providers that offers ActiveSync compatibility on an open source basis. Via its Z-Push open source project, Zarafa supports most ActiveSync-compatible peripherals. As a result, businesses can synchronise their groupware data with Windows Mobile, Google Android, Nokia mobiles and iPhones. In addition, Zarafa enables integration with the Blackberry Enterprise Server. Many businesses from a variety of vertical sectors including; construction, professional services, healthcare, real estate, logistics, professional services and the public sector have already switched to Zarafa software.

"Strong partners like Zarafa are important to Red Hat's business success," said Petra Heinrich, director of Partners and Alliances, EMEA at Red Hat. "With the close cooperation with our partners, we can better satisfy the growing demand for open source solutions."

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