"It's like what Outlook should have been, but on the Web." That's how Satish Dharmaraj described Zimbra, a corporate-oriented email and collaboration service he founded in 2003, to BoomTown's Kara Swisher (see video below) shortly after it was bought by Yahoo. But that was Yahoo under Jerry Yang. While the $350 million Zimbra acquisition seemed like a good idea to Yang in early 2008, under the company's new CEO, Carol Bartz, every one of Yahoo's services is under the microscope to see whether it's a good fit and can help drive profitability -- or if it needs to be shut down or sold off. Zimbra is surely not considered one of Yahoo's "wall of shame" services, but, as noted by PaidContent.org, "it doesn't fit with Yahoo's consumer-centric focus."
Swisher's well-connected sources at Yahoo now say Zimbra is up for sale. Who might be interested in a Web-based Outlook alternative? Google seems like an obvious choice, but after witnessing Intuit's acquisition of Web-based rival Mint.com, we have to ask: What about Microsoft itself? Outlook Web Access doesn't get much attention (or respect) these days, and the fresher Zimbra interface and functionality may be an attractive alternative.
Video: Kara Swisher's interview with Satish Dharmaraj
Sources and research: Zimbra.com, AllThingsD.com, PaidContent.org, The Industry Standard, Forrest Sheng Bao/Engineering Our Dreams, Cnet.com
Image: Satish Dharmaraj, AllThingsD video screen capture
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