For the past few decades, companies have been utilizing the Microsoft SMTP server, an on-premise/self-hosted server integrated with IIS. Although this SMTP server is quite old and lacks many modern features, it works well if all you need is email relaying.
Recently, however, Microsoft has announced several changes, including the use of OAuth 2.0 for SMTP authentication, which renders the IIS SMTP server obsolete and forces organizations to seek an alternative.
This blog aims to highlight some of the features available in IIS SMTP, as well as features that are missing, and an alternative solution that fills this gap.
Although IIS SMTP is no longer officially supported by Microsoft, it offers the following features that several organizations are still using:
Xeams offers a comprehensive alternative to the IIS SMTP server for organizations seeking an on-premise/self-hosted SMTP solution that includes all features supported by IIS SMTP, plus many other essential features for successful email delivery. Here is a partial list of features supported by Xeams.
Similar to IIS SMTP, you can send emails from your in-house devices and server to Xeams. Depending on the configuration, these emails can be sent directly to the final recipient's SMTP server, which is determined by an MX lookup of their domain, or they can be routed to another SMTP server of your choice, such as Exchange Online (Office 365). The following image displays a flow diagram.
Although out-of-support, Microsoft's SMTP server, bundled with IIS, has been a popular choice for many organizations for relaying emails from devices and application servers running on their premises. However, with recent changes in security protocols and the introduction of new features, organizations are seeking advanced, on-premises/self-hosted SMTP servers that can reliably relay emails to their intended destinations. Xeams provides an excellent alternative for companies looking to replace their existing solution with a modern system.