Versatel Uses SaaS for Webmail

NUREMBERG, Germany -- Open-Xchange, the leading provider of business-class open source collaboration software, announced today a deal with Versatel, Germany's third-largest telecommunications provider, to bring free webmail to Versatel’s customers, which include more than 1.3 million e-mail accounts.

By offering the Open-Xchange e-mail and groupware solution as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Versatel enables its customers to work productively anywhere they have access to a browser and an Internet connection. That is because Open-Xchange users can get access to their e-mails, appointments and documents anywhere and at any time via their desktop, laptop or smartphone.

All "Versatel Mail Basic" DSL customers will receive two e-mail accounts for free -- each with one GB of storage for their e-mail communications. Versatel hosting customers get up to 500 e-mail boxes depending on the selected product. Initially, Versatel will replace its existing webmail user front-end with the powerful AJAX-based e-mail and PIM (Personal Information Management) functionality of Open-Xchange.

In the near future, Versatel customers can extend the webmail solution with additional groupware features for a small monthly fee. Open-Xchange integrates business-class e-mail, calendaring, contacts and task management with advanced groupware features, such as information management and document sharing. Appointments and team meetings can be scheduled efficiently with joined team calendars. Using shared folders, all team members get access to all important documents, tasks, appointments and contacts. Central storage of all documents prevents duplicated work and reduces the amount of e-mail traffic.

Used by more than 8 million users around the world, Open-Xchange delivers reliable and scalable e-mail and groupware for hosted implementations. "With software-as-a-service, small- and medium-sized companies in particular can realize immediate benefits," said Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange. "They don't have to worry about installing hardware, software or backup. We provide them with complete e-mail and groupware functionality -- at surprisingly low cost."

Open-Xchange AG

Versatel Telecom International N.V. (Pink Sheets: VRSAF)