Knowing how to manage e-mail servers is a crucial aspect of running a modern business, yet there are a wide range of companies that find their e-mail addresses being blacklisted. A blacklisted e-mail address can serve as the kiss of death, so if you’d like to make sure that your e-mails are getting to their intended recipients, be sure to learn more about the five following tips.

Lock Users Down

Mail administrators must pay close attention to users, as their actions can lead to a company’s e-mail address becoming blacklisted. User passwords need to be strictly monitored, as weak passwords can leave a system vulnerable to attacks. Users who use company e-mail accounts to send out cute kitten videos will also need to be reined in. Password audits and spam checks for outgoing mail should be performed on a regular basis to keep the system free from attackers. Other than that, it might also be a good idea to use e-mail verification software such as correct.email to make sure your email database is clean and valid.

Utilize Abuse Detection

Abuse detection is crucial, as it allows administrators to nip potential problems during the earliest stages. Being able to detect e-mail abuse on your server before it has a chance to affect your company’s ability to send important correspondences. An internal spammer notification is crucial. This will let the administrators know when employees are sending out harmful mass e-mails. Users must be prevented from spamming, even when their intentions are good.

Enable Your System Events

The system events tool is invaluable, as it allows administrators to find out immediately when undesirable events take place on their servers. Avoiding a blacklisted e-mail is about being proactive, as opposed to reactive. Setting up notifications that let administrators know when their abuse detection rules are being broken, when messages over a certain size are being sent and when a user’s e-mail address is being throttled can keep a company from experiencing more severe issues over the long haul.

Tighten Your Mailing List

Mailing lists that have not been properly set up can be problematic. The only people in your company that should be allowed to post to your mailing lists are moderators. Outgoing messages must be throttled and mailing list e-mails priorities should be set to low. Otherwise, you could end up with a “reply all” nightmare that leads to your company’s e-mail ending up blacklisted as a result.

Receive Regular Reports

There are numerous reports that an administrator can utilize when it comes to remaining on top of their server. Reports must be read even when there are no current issues being experienced, so that any alarming trends can be monitored and nipped in the bud. The reports that should be of special interest include the SMTP Out usage report, as well as the SMTP Out Connections report. Abuse detection reports and outgoing spam reports are also helpful.