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SmarterMail still lacks some MS Exchange features that some (not so few...) users complain about. When will they be implemented?

Question asked by Gabriele Maoret - SERSIS - 6/3/2024 at 11:43 PM

Unanswered

SmarterMail still lacks some MS Exchange features that some (not so few...) users complain about. When will they be implemented?

According to my customers, the most requested features missing in Smartermail but supported by MS Exchange are these (in order of importance):

1 - synchronization of mail filtering rules (Server Side Rules) between SmarterMail <-> MS Outlook

2 - support for the ToDo List with the setting of task deadlines from the flag (supported in MS Outlook and also in OWA, the MS Exchange webmail)

3 - support for ONLINE mode in MS Outlook (without offline cache)

4 - support for object backup from third party tools (i.e. direct backup of mailboxes from tools such as Altaro, Veeam, Nakivo, Iperius Bakup, etc...) which have specific functions for MS Exchange in which they can perform backup of the individual mailbox and the recovery of individual emails, which currently does not work with SmarterMail.

5 - support for recovering deleted emails from Deleted Items

6 - support for synchronization of MS Outlook email signatures

I also encourage other users of this forum to point out if there are other important features that are missing

Please upvote if you need these features too!

Gabriele Maoret - Head of SysAdmins and CISO at SERSIS

Currently manages 6 SmarterMail installations (1 in the cloud for SERSIS which provides services to a few hundred third-party email domains + 5 on-premise for customers who prefer to have their mail server in-house)

21 Replies

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Brian Bjerring-Jensen - VonBjerring GmbH Replied

6/3/2024 at 11:50 PM

Microsoft 365 group (formerly known as Office 365 groups), is used for collaboration between teams, both inside and outside your company; by giving them a group email and a shared workspace for conversations, files, and calendars.

Gabriele Maoret - SERSIS Replied

6/4/2024 at 1:17 AM

Hi Brian!

Sorry but I don't understand what you mean... Are you suggesting another missing function?

Gabriele Maoret - Head of SysAdmins and CISO at SERSIS

Brian Bjerring-Jensen - VonBjerring GmbH Replied

6/4/2024 at 1:50 AM

Yes :)

Oliver Replied

6/4/2024 at 4:14 AM

Hello Gabriele,

thank you for taking up this topic once again.

Unfortunately, ST will certainly not comment on it this time either!

I think point 4 will be difficult to implement, as SM does not rely on a single database like Exchange, for example, and you first have to find a backup solution provider who will then adapt their software for SM, unless ST would integrate such a solution itself.

I think that point 5 is missing is a big problem. Outlook can be connected to SM via MAPI and the button “Restore deleted items from server” appears in Outlook, but it simply does not work with SM!

Unfortunately, there are enough customers who, when they come from Exchange, expect this function and assume that it will work if the button is also displayed in Outlook. So either ST deactivates the button, which I don't think is possible, or takes care of providing the function in SM.

Best Regards

Oliver

Gabriele Maoret - SERSIS Replied

6/5/2024 at 5:22 AM

Hi Oliver!

That's a point, but... I really want an answer from SmarterTools, even if it's "we will never support it"...

Gabriele Maoret - Head of SysAdmins and CISO at SERSIS

TK Replied

7/28/2024 at 12:50 AM

5 - support for recovering deleted emails from Deleted Items > any update?

Patrick Jeski Replied

7/28/2024 at 1:23 AM

@TK, Select the email in deleted items, three dot menu-> move-> inbox

Is there something more needed?

Brian Bjerring-Jensen - VonBjerring GmbH Replied

7/28/2024 at 2:05 AM

If its deleted from deleted items... there is no way to recover it in SM. There is en exchange...

TK Replied

7/28/2024 at 2:09 AM

yes exchange chan recover e-mails for x days once deleted from trash.

Mike Mulhern Replied

7/28/2024 at 3:28 AM

Why not use message archive?

Oliver Replied

7/28/2024 at 3:59 AM

The issue here is simply that when I connect SM via MAPI in Outlook under “Trash” the option to restore deleted mails (see yellow marker) is prominently advertised by Outlook, but is not available through SM, making it confusing for the user/customer.

Brian Bjerring-Jensen - VonBjerring GmbH Replied

7/28/2024 at 4:37 AM

Indeed. We cant move people from Office365 to SM since its an inferior product as it is now.

We only have clients on SM that doesnt need the full exchange experience.

Groups populating in Outlook. When a emailadress is a part of a group, it doesnt show in SM. And emails sent to that group in Office365 shows in the group.

Jay Dubb Replied

7/29/2024 at 4:32 AM

@Mike Mulhern - do you mean for the whole domain? Depending on volume, that could amount to a ton of storage required, just to act as a recycle bin that users themselves can't even access.

Mike Mulhern Replied

7/29/2024 at 5:41 AM

Yes, for entire domain. I understand it's not the same but at least there is a path forward in some capacity with the tools that are already there.

Oliver Replied

7/29/2024 at 4:17 PM

Unfortunately there is never an answer from SM on this subject ;(

Gabriele Maoret - SERSIS Replied

7/30/2024 at 2:24 AM

Bump!!!!

Gabriele Maoret - Head of SysAdmins and CISO at SERSIS

Roger Replied

7/30/2024 at 5:14 AM

I hope to see this features soon. Bump for it

Douglas Foster Replied

7/30/2024 at 11:40 AM

SM will never be exactly like Exchange; there will always be features that behaves differently. If you think you are losing business because of a feature as obscure as undelete from Outlook, something is terribly wrong. Either your client does not have a problem that he wants solved or you are bungling the sales cycle.

SmarterMail is attractive to most of us exactly because it is not Exchange:

- We don't trust Microsoft's pricing practices which they used to force people away from on-premises servers.

- We don't trust what Microsoft would be doing with our data if we had surrendered to their pressure.

- We don't appreciate their intent to use "New Outlook" to force our data onto their servers even though we are not cloud service clients. We do appreciate SmarterTools' proactive engagement with emClient to provide us with an alternative when "old Outlook" is no longer usable.

- We are not impressed with Microsoft's other administrative practices, which I documented in a post titled, "The Microsoft problem".

Sell those benefits. If the customer doesn't care about Microsoft's eavesdropping on his data to feed their Large Language Model, then let them go as they are not a viable prospect.

Roger Replied

7/30/2024 at 12:14 PM

Douglas, I basically agree with your argument about the advantages of SmarterTools, but one does not exclude the other.

The reason why many people opt for SmarterMail may be different. Either because of the costs (although license prices have just risen sharply), data protection, data sovereignty, trust, etc.

Nevertheless, SmarterMail advertises itself as an Exchange alternative, which implies that the Exchange functionalities are also available as far as possible. In view of the prices for MAPI and EAS licenses, one can also expect strong further development steps to be taken here. In my opinion, SmarterMail has demonstrated well in recent months that they are on track and are relatively quick to fix open bugs or implement new functions. However, I don't want to miss the features mentioned above and hope that they will be available in the foreseeable future.

TK Replied

7/30/2024 at 12:14 PM

Mike Mulhern > as far as I understand Mail Archive requires the admin to do something. the trash on the other hand empowers the Enduser to recover things autonomously. That's a main differentiation on it.

Mike Mulhern Replied

7/30/2024 at 1:05 PM

Hi TK---

Yes, totally agree.

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