One account’s mistake is everyone’s problem
If you host dozens of domains and hundreds of mailboxes on the same server, a single weak password is enough. The compromised account sends thousands of spam messages overnight, the server’s IP address is blacklisted, and the next morning emails from every customer on that server start bouncing. By the time you notice the problem, the reputation damage has already been done.
MailChannels is a cloud-based SMTP relay service that filters outgoing email before it reaches the recipient. The vendor’s focus is on hosting providers and multi-tenant platforms.
What does MailChannels do?
Catches outbound spam on the way
Instead of sending outgoing email directly, your servers relay it to MailChannels. Spam-like sending, phishing campaigns and sudden sending bursts are detected before they leave your email network.
Flags compromised accounts
Reputation is tracked per sender; the accounts that send the most and are rejected the most are reported. You receive alerts about suspicious activity, and API webhooks can be used to suspend the account concerned automatically.
Keeps servers separate from one another
Separate credentials are defined for each server. When one server’s access is revoked, the others are unaffected.
Limits domain abuse
With Domain Lockdown, who can send on behalf of a domain through MailChannels is restricted, preventing spoofed sending.
Fits into your existing set-up
A plugin is available for cPanel; on other mail servers it is configured as a smarthost. Inbound email filtering and a transactional email API for applications are offered as separate services.
MailChannels with Unna
MailChannels is not for every business. If your mailboxes are on a hosted service, outbound filtering is already the provider’s responsibility. MailChannels makes sense for organisations that offer shared hosting, run mail servers for many customer domains or send high volumes of email from their applications.
- We listen first. We look at your number of servers, the domains you host and any past blacklisting problems.
- We plan together. We decide which servers will send through MailChannels, the changes needed to SPF records and the alert workflow.
- We connect and test. We configure the relay settings and verify deliverability with test sends.
- We stay by your side. We follow up suspended accounts, alerts and delivery issues together with you.
Part of the whole
- On our business email page, we explain which set-up is needed when.
- We protect IP reputation by routing the outgoing traffic of your SmarterMail servers through MailChannels.
- With PAM360, we control administrator access to mail servers and reduce the risk of account compromise on the server side as well.
- Endpoint security tackles account compromise at its source, against password-stealing malware.
Frequently asked questions
Is it necessary for a single company’s mail server?
Usually not. On a single organisation’s server, correctly configured authentication, a strong password policy and two-factor authentication are usually enough. If you frequently run into blacklisting problems, we assess it together.
Will our emails be delayed?
Because MailChannels adds a relay layer, messages pass through one more intermediate stop. During commissioning, we observe delivery times together with test sends, and afterwards we track the status of every message from the log search screen.
