Product FAQ

What's the exact product definition and what's the unique selling point?

Open-Xchange Hosting Edition: Open-Xchange Hosting Edition is the only groupware specifically designed for the needs of SaaS providers. With Open-Xchange, web hosters, ISPs, telecommunication enterprises and IT service enterprises can enhance their product range with SaaS offers as modular system step by step. Open-Xchange Hosting Edtion is a modular solution that allows ...

• the continued usage of existing E-Mail server infrastructures and provisioning back-ends without migrating
• a seemless integration of systems like Plesk Panel, Parallels Operation Automation, Cpanel and more
• staying competitive against Microsoft, Google and Yahoo Mail, by replacing your outdated webmail solution with the AJAX based webmail solution by Open-Xchange at low cost for all existing E-Mail accounts
• to offer your new and existing customers new and innovative SaaS solutions like collaboration and groupware on the new Open-Xchange Webmail platform
• to offer state-of-the-art mobility solutions to your customers at low cost and with decent margins
• to continuously offer your customers new and modern features
• to quickly realize all new offers at low cost

Open-Xchange Server Edition: Open-Xchange Server Edition is a modular system, is based on open standards and is very well suited for the integration into existing IT infrastructures, allowing e.g. the continued use of existing E-Mail back-ends and any directory services like AD, LDAP or eDirectory. Open-Xchange Server Edition is aimed at enterprises, educational institutes and public services, looking for a communication solution tailored to their needs. Open-Xchange Server Edition is multiple-client capable and supports more than 10,000 users per client for any number of clients.

What are the current product highlights?

• Integration aspect: Open-Xchange Server Edition seemlessly integrates into existing E-Mail back-ends and directory services. There are no migration efforts for implementing the groupware. Projects are drastically simplified.
• Plug-in concept: Own GUI plug-ins or server side plug-ins can easily be integrated.
• Mobile devices can be connected with Exchange Active Sync or a modern HTML 5 „Mobile Web Interface".
• Team calendar: scheduling meetings and appointments based on free appointments of all participants – any time, anywhere and with almost any end device
• Integrated file management (“on-line hard drive”) - editing shared files without sending E-Mails back and forth, central storage and automatic back-up, versioning, integrating into the local client across firewall boundaries with WEBDAV(S).
• Up-to-date AJAX based user interface in the browser, no fat clients needed, thus drastically reducing the adminstrative efforts.
• Combining any number of external E-Mail accounts in an intelligent "Unified In-Box".
• Displaying external calendars in Open-Xchange calendar.
• Modular system, each feature can be configured on a user basis (webmail, PIM, Groupware, file management), often most users only need few modules. Only those have to be licensed.
• Integration and synchronization of contacts and messages from dozens of social media sources like Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter or Xing.

Which platforms are supported?

Open-Xchange supported Platforms

Which mobile synchronization possibilities are there?

The solutions for connecting mobile devices to a central groupware are as numerous as the mobile devices themselves. Therefore, Open-Xchange offers various mobility solutions for each scenario:

Open-Xchange OXtender for Business Mobility: The Open-Xchange OXtender for Business Mobility is a cost-efficient and hardware-independant software solution based on the Microsoft Exchange Active Sync (EAS) technology, allowing you to have all your E-Mails, contacts, appointments and tasks well under control wherever you are.

Open-Xchange Mobile Web Interface: The Open-Xchange Mobile Web Interface allows easy access in real time to appointments, contacts, and E-Mails saved on the Open-Xchange Server when being on the road (on-line access). The Open-Xchange Mobile Web Interface offers a web client optimized for your mobile device's display.

What are the differences between the mobile synchronization solution in detail?

Open-Xchange Mobility Solutions

Which additional clients are supported (Outlook, Mac OS X)?

In addition to the extensive support of the different mobility solutions Open-Xchange provides further tools for the different clients:

OXtender 2 for Microsoft Outlook®: The Open-Xchange OXtender 2 for Microsoft Outlook® allows to use Microsoft Outlook as rich client for all Open-Xchange Server 6 products. As usual, manage your E-Mails, appointments, contacts, and tasks in all personal, shared, and public folders. The OXtender synchronizes in real time new information on the Open-Xchange Server with the Outlook client making efficient team work possible. If being without internet connection, your changes will be synchronized when connecting to the Open-Xchange Server again.

Synchronization with MacOS X® per CardDAV and CalDAV: With the MacOS X integration you can use all information and documents you save on the Open-Xchange Server in your Mac environment. You can e.g. still edit E-Mails, contacts, appointments, and tasks in the familiar Mac applications Mail, Address book, and iCal. Even if the Mac is off-line, you can continue working as usual. The changes will be automatically synchronized the next time you connect to the Open-Xchange Server.

Where to find download information, install instructions, documentation?

The following information can be viewed on the Open-Xchange information portal OXpedia:

• Quick Installation Guide
• Hosting Edition deployment tutorials
• Upsell functionality; upsell layer installation and configuration
• OX Permission Level Matrix
• Installation and configuration of Open-Xchange Microsoft Outlook® Uploader; OXtender for Business Mobility; Open-Xchange Client Updater; CalDAV and CardDAV; Open-Xchange Mobile Web Interface; OXtender for SyncML; OXtender for cPanel
• Installation requirements
• Documentation
• Additional documentation
• Whitepapers
• and many more...

What's the difference between shared hosting and dedicated servers?

Shared hosting requires full support of multi-tenant/domain capabilities. One instance of the application serves a large number of customers. Each customer can work in his own environment within this instance – completely separated from each other customer. A dedicated server offers a complete instance for a single customer by separating each instance using for example virtualization technologies. Dedicated servers are mostly used for larger companies. Dedicated server offerings of Open-Xchange Server are already in place. Please contact us to obtain further details and references.

Which license Open-Xchange is subject to?

Open-Xchange Server is licensed under the General Public License for the server software or “serverpack” and the Creative Commons, Attribution, Noncommercial, ShareAlike or CC:by-nc-sa (“Creative Commons”) for the digital content and JAVA script code used by the browser or the “webpack”.

What's the cost of the Open-Xchange product solutions and where to find additional FAQs?

To get more information and download Open-Xchange Server Edition for evaluation, please fill out our contact form.

Further technical FAQ's are available here http://sdb.open-xchange.com/faq!