Introducing High Volume Email for Microsoft 365: A Game-Changer in Enterprise Communication
In the modern enterprise landscape, the ability to communicate efficiently and at scale is paramount. Recognizing this need, Microsoft has unveiled a groundbreaking solution to address one of the most pressing challenges faced by businesses today: email volume constraints. The public preview of High Volume Email (HVE) for Microsoft 365 marks a significant milestone in enterprise communication, offering unprecedented capabilities in email delivery and management.
What is High Volume Email (HVE)?
High Volume Email is a service tailored for line of business applications and high-volume SMTP Auth submissions, designed to enable internal message sending beyond the traditional limits of Exchange Online. This innovation comes as a relief for customers previously reliant on on-premises servers in an Exchange hybrid configuration for large-volume internal messaging. With HVE, the necessity for such infrastructure is eliminated, paving the way for more streamlined operations.
Global Rollout and Availability
Microsoft has commenced the rollout of HVE to all worldwide customers starting April 1, with expectations to complete this phase by the end of April. Initially, the HVE endpoint is stationed in the North America region, with plans to expand to additional regions in the ensuing months.
Key Features and Goals
HVE is engineered with the following objectives in mind:
- Enhanced Email Volume Capacity: Empower customers to send a higher volume of emails to predominantly internal recipients without encountering recipient rate limits.
- Control Over External Communication: External recipient volume is capped, directing the need for high-volume external email to Azure Communication Services.
- Customizable Limits and Billing: Administrators have the autonomy to define limits on a per-account basis, complemented by a consumption-based billing model, usage metrics, and tracking functionalities.
Going Beyond Traditional Limits
Traditionally, Exchange Online imposes outbound limits based on Recipient Rate Limit and Message Rate Limit. HVE transcends these boundaries, accommodating a vast array of email usage scenarios, including those stemming from hardware devices and business applications.
For the public preview, Microsoft is offering this service free of charge, albeit with a cap of 100,000 recipients per day per tenant. While this limit is provisional, it is anticipated to suffice for preliminary testing and feedback stages. Upon general availability, further expansions to these limits are expected, alongside enhanced administrative control over volume thresholds.
Public Preview Insights
The public preview of HVE introduces the capability to create up to 20 MailUsers in Exchange Online, who can send messages via a specific SMTP endpoint. This phase is enriched with an administrative experience through the Exchange admin center, encompassing HVE account management, usage tracking, and an SMTP endpoint facilitating basic SMTP auth for email dispatch.
Preliminary Limitations
During the public preview, several limitations apply, which are set to extend upon general availability:
- HVE Accounts: Up to 20 per tenant
- Recipient Rate Limits: 100,000 per day
- External Recipients: 2,000 per day
Technical Specifications
- Server/Endpoint: smtp-hve.office365.com
- Port: 587
- TLS: STARTTLS
- Authentication: Username and password
HVE accounts are different kinds of mail user accounts. Please avoid giving any license to HVE accounts.
Authentication Considerations
Initially, HVE necessitates SMTP Basic Authentication, with OAuth authentication projected for support post-general availability. It’s crucial for customers to enable AllowBasicAuthSmtp, particularly in scenarios where Security Defaults or custom authentication policies are in play, to ensure seamless HVE functionality.
How to Create a HVE Account:
- Navigate to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/.
- Under the Mail flow menu, select High Volume Email(Preview).
Select Add an HVE account
More info about creating an HVE account can be found on Microsoft Learn : Create HVE account.
Original Microsoft release: public-preview-high-volume-email-for-microsoft-365
Conclusion
High Volume Email for Microsoft 365 heralds a new era in enterprise email communication, breaking the shackles of traditional email volume limitations and introducing a level of flexibility and control previously unattainable. As businesses continue to evolve in their communication needs, HVE stands out as a pivotal innovation, promising to redefine the landscape of enterprise messaging. For those looking to delve deeper into the capabilities and implementation of High Volume Email, further information is readily available, signaling the dawn of a new chapter in Microsoft’s commitment to empowering businesses worldwide.
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