I am proud to announce version 4.0 of the SocketLabs Email On-Demand control panel which includes exciting new features. Version 4.0 has been months in the working, and represents a complete restructuring of the underpinnings of our data systems. This update not only provides great features today, it also lays the groundwork for many new and innovative features planned for release throughout the year, and into the future.

Here is what is new today:

Multiple SMTP Servers

Now you can create multiple servers in your account. By creating additional servers you can separate mail of different priorities, classes, or organizations. Each additional server has its own dashboard, as well as its own statistics, reports and API. Additional servers can be created on any account and managed centrally.

Multiple Users

Another new feature in the control panel is the ability to create additional users. Each user has full access to the control panel and all servers on the account. Extra users are great, when you need to share the administration duties with others on your team.

New Notification Options

To send account related email to additional addresses, just add them to the Notifications list. The Notifications list is great for distribution lists and SMS addresses too.

Other New Features

• Report data of virtually any size can be downloaded to CSV
• Easier retrieval of lost login information, with only an email address required
• SMTP credentials are now available in the control panel
• Numerous aesthetic enhancements to the UI

Coming Soon

In addition we have a brand new API coming in the very near future which will enable complete control of these new features, such as server and user management as well as more robust statistics querying capabilities.

That’s not all

Within the next few weeks we will be transitioning onto a completely new SMTP infrastructure designed for even higher availability. We will post more about that in the coming weeks. Rest assured that we are working very hard to provide the highest deliverability, availability and service available.

We are making a change to our suppression systems that you should be aware of. The SocketLabs Email On-Demand automatic suppression system dramatically increases your deliverability by automatically blocking email to addresses which have previously hard bounced or previously complained about one of your mailings.

This year, we are reinforcing our email delivery infrastructure, to make it more dependable than ever. These improvements require that we change the way we handle your attempts to deliver email to addresses that are on your suppression list.

Currently if you attempt to send email to an address that is on your suppression list, we reject your attempt at the SMTP level. That is, we refuse to accept the message from your application. Beginning on February 15th, 2011, we will no longer reject these messages at the SMTP level. The new behavior for our servers will be to fully accept the messages from your sending application, and then log and delete the message without delivering it. In the end – the result is the same.

This change will not impact the effectiveness of our suppression system and it will allow us to log more information about the messages that are suppressed, such as the message and or mailing id. However, if your applications depend on having suppressed messages blocked at the SMTP level, you will have to make whatever changes you deem necessary on or before February 15th, 2011 to accommodate for this change. Suppressed messages are treated like any other message delivery failure, and can be viewed with the other failure data from the SocketLabs Email On-Demand Control Panel or through our API. We suggest that you access this data regularly and use it to keep your local address lists clean.

I love Amazon. When recently asked, I quickly named them as one of my favorite brands. I buy everything I can through Amazon. Their fast shipping and great prices are hard to beat.

Recently we have been contemplating putting some of our resources into the Amazon Cloud (AWS) and we have therefore spent a LOT of time experimenting and testing just about all of their cloud technologies. Amazon is solving common computing problems by offering scalable solutions on a pay-as-you go basis. It is a great idea, and works well in many cases.

Enter SES

Recently Amazon has announced their new Simple Email Service (SES). SES is the latest addition to their wide range of cloud services, and it is designed to help companies deliver bulk mail. Perhaps the most notable part of SES is its price which is many times below the current industry average.

So how is Amazon able to offer the same service as SocketLabs, for a fraction of the price? I don’t think that they can – and I don’t think they want to either. Amazon’s cloud services provide decent value, but always with some level of compromise. This is not a criticism, just the nature of the business. Amazon’s services work on economy of scale. However, economy of scale does not transfer well to some services, so there is where compromises have to be made.

Economy of scale does not transfer well to email deliverability. I know this without a doubt from 15 years of experience helping hundreds of companies deliver their bulk email.

Email delivery is a complicated animal, unlike other areas of computing. It is more of a professional service, and less of a data processing service. Much like accountants, lawyers and any other professionals address the unique needs of their clients, so does SocketLabs when it comes to email delivery. Professional services do not work well in an economy of scale model because they involve real human time, not just machines and algorithms.

Email Senders Need More

I think Amazon’s idea about bringing economy of scale to email delivery is an interesting experiment. But at the price point they are working in, I just can’t see how they can offer help to confused or troubled emailers along the way.

Email senders need more than data processing. They need access to a team of experienced experts, that can answer the questions they have, and help them handle any problems that arise. I can see email senders getting frustrated when there is no human to plead their case to in times of trouble, only an algorithm.

The Value of SocketLabs Email On-Demand

• Free, professional support, including 24×7 access to a technician during any service outage situation.
• SMTP access from any email enabled application, so you can start sending with us in minutes. APIs are available, but not necessary.
• Dedicated IPs with select account plans isolate your email from the crowd and put you in control of your own reputation.
• Rich web based and API reporting of messages sent, messages failed, opens/clicks and complaints. Right down to the indivual message level.
• Open and Click tracking tells you who is opening and interacting with your messages.
• DKIM signing of your messages ensures top deliverability with the large ISPs.
• Suppression Lists, automatically block repeat email attempts to addresses which have bounced or filed a complaint.
• Message and Campaign tracking and reporting with user defined message and campaign identifiers.

We Are Still Busy Innovating

We are still busy innovating and have amazing plans for 2011 and beyond. Our code-name Nashville release is due out in weeks and will bring multi-server and multi-user management as well as a freshened UI and a few other goodies.

Please stay tuned for more information the Nashville release, as well as hints to some of the other really cool things ready to emerge from under cover.

Best regards,

John Alessi

Follow me on Twitter: @johnalessi