Business model of a Zimbra Wrapper

I was initially amused with what MeritMail is offering. It is nothing interesting - just a Zimbra wrap. That was my conclusion if I see it from a standalone product viewpoint.

However, if you position it as a Total Solution or One-Stop Solution, then it starts to make sense. Take a look at MeritMail's feature list.

What interests me is:

MeritMail Leverages your existing Merit network connection

I think it's much easier to push a new solution onto an existing solid infrastructure. In this example, customers (mostly universities, I think)  who are already on Merit network will naturally incline to subscribe to MeritMail service. 

Easier to maintain the vendor relationship. Easier to raise a support case, if any. 

I would think it's easier to bargain for a cheaper price since there is definitely economy of scale managing data center/network/mail servers.