Product release information, thoughtful insight, tech reviews and more
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are becoming increasingly important for ISPs and large mail services such as Gmail, and will one day be required by all mail services and servers. However, some people are still confused by these acronyms and what they mean. This post should clarify things for users of all levels: from standard users to system admininstrators. We'll explain what these are and why they're important for anyone who uses email to communicate...
As a system administrator you know that spam is a real nightmare. What you might not know is that statistics show that well over half of the total email traffic, worldwide, is spam. When you factor in things like new system administrators who aren’t entirely sure how to run a mail server, ethically challenged users who exploit those system administrators...
We’re fast approaching the end of 2018 and we’re looking to leave it behind with a bang. There are a TON of exciting improvements coming -- some of the biggest we’ve ever made -- and we are essentially re-creating SmarterTools as a brand new company. We feel the time is right to give customers more of what they want: That means making wholesale changes to the company, how we're branded, what we have to offer and how we're offering it....
As you all know, we use our own products and we often run ALPHA or BETA versions for testing and so that customers can benefit from upcoming features. With that said, SmarterTrack 15.x is just around the corner, and we’re going to be upgrading our installations which means YOU will be seeing some changes within our Portal and Community before anyone else! Check out some of the exciting Community changes that are coming...
As some of you might know, we started our SmarterMail 17.x BETA in March. We’ve paused BETA releases for the last six weeks or so, however, and want to explain why. We definitely hit some roadblocks, which changed our direction, but the end result is very positive! Below, we’ll discuss some of what we’ve learned, some of the changes you can expect, and then, finally, we’ll lay out the roadmap for the next couple of BETA releases.
We're pleased to announce the release of SmarterTrack 14! With a number of back end improvements, plus the introduction of Forms, the ability for Organization members to see all tickets from their respective Organization, privacy and cookie policy additions and more, SmarterTrack 14 is a huge update to our customer service platform.
The GDPR is a set of European Union regulations that aim to "standardize and strengthen data protection policies for residents of EU member nations." As such, SmarterTools lays out where our products stand with regards to GDPR and what you can do to work towards following the spirit of the Regulations.
Facebook is under criticism for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where personal data of over 87 million people was breached. It’s time to get serious about user data and privacy.
SmarterMail 17.x BETA is LIVE! In an effort to highlight features and to give participants time to test and provide feedback on what they see, we’ll be releasing features in multiple phases. Read more about the relevant features that are part of Phase One of the BETA.
We are extremely excited to announce the release of SmarterTrack 13.x. Download it today and see what’s new in the next iteration of our powerful and extremely popular customer service and issue tracking platform.
When you work with a company like Microsoft over a 30 year span, you see many ups and downs. We have found MANY issues with MANY Microsoft products throughout the years and we’ve worked with various levels inside Microsoft to resolve them...That said, we’ve noticed that in the last few years Microsoft was reacting slower and slower to resolving issues related to EAS in Microsoft Outlook. And with Microsoft’s September 12th automatic update of Office 2016, they removed EAS functionality altogether.
When we set out to build SmarterMail we did so with a specific goal in mind: to build a 100% web-driven interface that would allow system administrators and domain administrators to manage every aspect of the mail server from anywhere...SmarterMail 16.x is the next evolution of that idea, and it ushers in a revolution in web-based email administration as well as end user capabilities.
SSL is an integral part of today’s web experience. Sites like Google penalize sites that do NOT use SSL, so having a solid SSL implementation for any of your domains means your users will have safe and secure browsing experience. In addition, it eliminates that pesky “Safe Browsing” warning that Google displays for sites that don’t utilize SSL and that tend to scare users.
While our competitors still have 20 year old interfaces, SmarterMail 16.x is re-imagining mail administration using the latest web-based technologies, allowing mail administrators to monitor and manage all aspects of their mail servers on desktops, tablets and mobile phones!
When we set out to build SmarterMail over 13 years ago, we made a pivotal decision: make the product 100% browser-based. At the time, this was a revolutionary concept because competing mail servers offered Windows-based applications that required remote desktop to manage the server. Today, we are announcing another pivotal decision:
Hard work is a mainstay at most companies and SmarterTools is no exception. And while hard work can be a reward of its own, there are times when it's necessary for us, as employers, to really show our appreciation for all our employees do. Recently, we took all of our employees to Maui, Hawaii, where we spent 6 days snorkeling, parasailing, hiking and more. Check out some of the memories we created while there!
It’s time for another sneak peek of SmarterMail 16! Our last post announced SmarterMail’s upcoming addition of web conferencing functionality with video chat, screen sharing, group meetings and more. Well, our SmarterMail team has been hard at work, and today we’re thrilled to bring you the first look at those designs!
It’s time for another sneak peek of SmarterMail 16! In our last post, we showed how the SmarterMail interface is evolving by making it more modern, user friendly, and mobile responsive. Well, that’s not all we have in store… SmarterMail 16 will introduce web conferencing, which means video chats, group meetings, screen sharing and more!
Over the last few months we’ve been working feverishly on SmarterMail’s next major version, SmarterMail 16.x, and we’re excited to share more details and screenshots to all SmarterMail users. Preview the mockups for the SmarterMail 16.x interface redesign and let us know what you think!
When managing a mail server, it’s important to monitor your server’s disk activity to prevent bottlenecks or latencies that can degrade your mail server’s performance. In this post, learn how to configure Windows Performance Monitor to capture information pertaining to your server’s disk I/O utilization and discover potential disk issues before they occur.
These days, it seems offering up an email address is required everywhere you go -- both online and off! However, many people hate the idea of giving away personal information so freely, even when it means receiving something in return. In this blog post, learn how SmarterMail’s disposable email address let’s you get what you want yet avoid becoming vulnerable to spam.
Apart from network traffic, browsing speed and battery life issues, there is another potential pitfall to ad blockers: they can SIGNIFICANTLY degrade your ability to know who is visiting your website. For ecommerce websites or for businesses who use their websites as their primary means for engaging customers, THIS fact may be the most devastating problem of all.
At some point in time, every email administrator will need to review their logs to trace messages that were sent to or from their server. In this blog post we’ll trace a message from a sending mail server through SmarterMail to see why it wasn’t delivered to a user’s inbox. We’ll be able to see where the email came from, and where it actually ended up, as well as why it ended up there.
Google's recent April Fool's Day prank -- the Google Mic Drop button -- proves that treating email accounts like toys and using them as a vehicle for a seemingly innocent prank can have dire, devastating results. It's hard enough making products and services work seamlessly together without turning it all into a game...
One benefit of having an active User Community is that people can trade information, news and articles about issues that have an impact on other Community members. A perfect example of this is a recent post in the SmarterTools Community about a major issue with POP3 in Office 2016. In Microsoft’s own community discussion they acknowledge the problem and offer a temporary workaround...
It's a new year and we're kicking it off with the first of TWO major releases for all three of our products. This initial release is just the beginning of the great things to come, offering a few new features and back end improvements. SmarterMail.NEXT, coming later this year, we'll have a completely new interface and will be the first mail server to be fully API-driven.
It's a new year and we're kicking it off with the first of TWO major releases for all three of our products. This initial release is just the beginning of the great things to come, offering a few new features and back end improvements. SmarterTrack.NEXT, coming later this year, will have a completely new interface and will be the first help desk to be fully API-driven.
It's a new year and we're kicking it off with the first of TWO major releases for all three of our products. This initial release is just the beginning of the great things to come, offering a few new features and back end improvements. SmarterStats.NEXT, coming later this year, will have a completely new interface and will be the first online business and Web analytics tool to be fully API-driven.
The new year brings some fantastic news from SmarterTools: we're planning 2 MAJOR releases of all 3 of our products! We're emphasizing "MAJOR" because we have some great things planned for the next versions of our products. To kick it all off, we're running a holiday promotion now through the end of 2015...
The last time we refreshed the SmarterTools website, Windows 7 had just launched, Avatar was breaking box office records and Facebook only had 150 million users. So, it's been awhile...
Ryan Kekos is the CEO and Lead Visionary of product services at GearHost, a Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud built for .NET, PHP and Node.js developers who need to launch and scale applications quickly. We caught up with Ryan to chat about their experience using SmarterTrack for customer support...
This quarter has been a busy one at SmarterTools! In the past three months, we've had two major version releases, as well as a fun promotion to reward customers for sticking with us through the years. Below you'll find a quick recap, and as an added bonus, you can participate in the $100 Credit Giveaway...
So in my last few posts, I've reviewed things like the Microsoft Band, the HP Stream 11 and, of course, my initial feelings about the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. While many of my reviews have been somewhat critical of Microsoft and their direction, I hope you've seen that, in my heart, I really do want Microsoft to succeed. Being a long-time Windows guy, I just can't fathom a world without Microsoft...
I'm taking a bit of a break from the Microsoft posts. Well, I'm sort of taking a break. In this post I want to demonstrate the best way to use Bootcamp on a MacBook Pro Retina to run Windows and OS X side-by-side...
Between the issues with Windows 8/8.1, what I've seen with the Technical Preview of Windows 10, problems with Microsoft's re-branding of products and services, the consumer experiences I've had with the Microsoft Stores and call centers…I've not had good experiences and I've written about them. Despite all of this, I decided to try the Microsoft Band. Shocking, maybe, but having been a long time Nike Band user and also using a Basis Tracker / Watch, I had some hopes for the Microsoft Band as it has numerous sensors and is cross platform. So, I bought one...
In our ongoing series of reviewing all things Microsoft, today I'm turning my attention to the latest entry in the "inexpensive" Windows laptops: the 11 inch HP Stream. I tell you what: I'm not sure you will find a better $200 Windows machine...
As I mentioned in ablog post earlier this week, I was thinking of buying a few Microsoft Surface Pro 3's for some of our staff. This was ostensibly so we could continue testing all of our products on the latest version of Windows as well as the native applications that come with the new Microsoft devices. My experience brought to light a major, major issue that Microsoft is facing, one that is possibly even larger than the issues I mention in my previous post...
I had high hopes. Honestly, I did. I was excited to try both the Surface Pro 3 and, after reading about what was coming with Windows 10, I was even more excited. And I will be honest, the Surface Pro 3 is an incredible computer: It is a very powerful PC wrapped in a very small package with a screen that can be used as a tablet. This is exactly how Microsoft is marketing it, and it's true...to a point...
So, my earlier blog post prompted some interesting discussions around the office. Many thought I was a bit too harsh in chastising Microsoft for their direction and business sense. Here are a couple of quotes that typify the "pro-Microsoft" side of our office...
Even after the criticisms put forth in my last blog post, I was still chomping at the bit to get my hands on the tech build of Windows 10, and today was the day...
I really had high hopes that today was going to be a great day. Not that other days AREN'T great, but today Microsoft was releasing information on its new version of Windows. I had high expectations for the event and when all was said and done, much of the interface elements were exactly what I was hoping for. I even think that naming the release Windows 10 is a BRILLIANT move by Microsoft as it signifies NOT a new version of Windows 8, but a new version of Windows! By skipping the Windows 9 moniker, Microsoft is truly showing, in a most basic way, that they're starting fresh and looking at the Windows operating system in an entirely new way...
We receive a lot of questions from customers regarding using SmarterMail "in the Cloud." Most often the questions revolve around using Amazon's EC2 platform, but we also get questions about using Microsoft Azure, installing on virtual private servers and more. This blog post will answer those questions, as well as answer a more pertinent one: While it IS possible to install SmarterMail "in the Cloud," the more pressing question is "SHOULD you install it in the Cloud?"...
So, many Windows Phone 8 customers are getting the latest update to their mobile operating systems, called Windows Phone 8 GDR2. While this update includes a number of "fixes", the most anticipated change was adding in support for CalDAV and CardDAV, two widely-used and supported syncing protocols for a user's calendars and contacts...
A few months ago we put up a post about some steps you can take to avoid having your mail server blacklisted on various RBLs and other anti-spam lists. This is a great preventative measure, but it doesn't mean an email account can't get compromised. So, what do you do if you DO have a compromised account on your mail server? In addition, how can you find which account was the one compromised...
In Part One of our series we discussed some tips for setting up your mail server, including tweaks to your operating system and any other software, such as anti-virus, running on your server. In Part Two, we looked at SmarterMail itself and adjustments to items like spam filtering, file attachment sizes and more that can increase overall performance. In this final post, we'll look at hardware settings and some tips for optimizing email clients and mobile devices...
In Part One of our series on Improving Disk I/O for Your Mail Server, we discussed some tweaks to your operating system and any other server software, such as anti-virus, to increase overall performance. In this post, we'll look at settings and tweaks to SmarterMail itself. If you're doing some of these already, then you're ahead of the curve. However, read through and see if you can grab one or two more that allow you to squeeze the most out of your mail server performance...
While SmarterMail 11.x has a significant number of changes that greatly increase the performance and reliability of your mail server, there are still some configuration tweaks that mail admins can use to further increase performance. In this three part series (there's a LOT to discuss) we'll look at a few things you can do to increase the overall lperformance of your mail server beyond simply using SmarterMail. Part One will cover general server settings, Part Two will cover SmarterMail and Part Three will cover tweaks to email clients and devices as well as hardware changes to increase performance...
As the developer of popular mail software, we get a LOT of questions asking for tips and tricks on how to best manage mail servers. We are constantly getting questions on how to configure anti-spam, what anti-spam measures work best, how to set up a mail system for X users and/or Y domains. We even get some pretty off-the-wall tickets from potential administrators who tell us that they want to set up the next Gmail or Hotmail to give the world free email, then turn around and ask "But, how do I do that?"...
As your company grows, so does the necessity to better manage company documents and files. Like many companies, SmarterTools utilized file servers at our data center and created shares for various departments. This was, of course, a decent solution, but one that required a bit of maintenance by our IT staff and required our employees to use VPN in order to access the server, and this wasn't a good solution for the up and coming tablets. So, in 2010 we decided to evaluate "cloud based storage" solutions...
Perhaps one of the more misunderstood features of SmarterTrack is its internal chat functionality. I'm not really talking about live chat -— that's primarily used to chat with external audiences, like your customers —- I'm talking about the agent instant messenger and chat rooms...
This is the last part of a small series of posts about lean customer service and the role of helpdesks in helping businesses move towards a leaner and more efficient customer service model. Part 1 of this series dealt with identifying and creating value in the customer service channel while Part 2 dealt with eliminating waste once the channel was created. This final post deals with the third lean concept...
In Part 1 of this series, I touched on the short history of the Lean Movement in manufacturing and its entry into other industries and leadership theory. I also went into the first of three general concepts surrounding the Lean Movement and how it relates to customer service, or more precisely, how to use a helpdesk to conform to the "lean" ideals. That first concept was identifying and creating value. This blog post discusses the second concept...
The initial foundation of the whole "lean" movement was popularized in the 1980's with a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. The joint venture was a way for both companies to use a former GM plant located in Fremont, California, to manufacture vehicles. The resulting relationship allowed Toyota to gain their first U.S. factory while GM spent time learning Toyota's efficient manufacturing process. The efficiency that GM gained is really the crux of the entire "lean" movement, regardless of how it's implemented in manufacturing, how it's been co-opted by the software industry, or even how it has become a foundation of leadership training...
Selecting a help desk for your business should be a fairly simple task. However, with all of the options out there it can be a bit difficult to figure out which one is the best fit for your needs. Below are a few things to consider as you begin your search…
There is a lot of talk these days about social media--its import, its impact, its value and its effect on how we do business and communicate. What's lost in all this discussion, however, is any recognition for the only consistent and pervasive similarity between ALL social media outlets, from Twitter to Facebook to Google+: email...
Who actually enjoys sitting around waiting for an installation to complete? Working with developers, one of the tasks I am constantly being asked for in IT is to provision test workstations and virtual machines. Often, I found deploying these stations was time consuming and distracting due to the amount of interaction the installations demanded...
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