How does Templafy Email Signature Server for M365 work?

This article is an overview of Templafy's Email Signature Server Solution for M365.

Overview

Templafy's Email Signature Server is a server-based email signature management solution for Microsoft 365 that appends email signatures to emails sent from any device (PC/Mac/Outlook Online/Mobile Devices/ etc.) The server works from any device and in any application as long as the email is processed through Exchange Online.

How are email signatures managed?

Email Signatures are managed via the Admin Center. The server appends all email signature components (tag lines, signatures, campaigns, and disclaimers) to emails after they are sent, and the email signature can be reviewed in the sent items folder.

In order to append these signatures server-side, Templafy has designed a modern SMTP Mail Server. This server has been built so that it can be deployed through a Docker container. 

Below is the flow an email will go through when using Templafy's Email Signature Server:

1. An email is sent from any device.
2. The mail is processed via the client's Exchange Online server.
3. If any mail rules exist (ex. should Templafy add a signature to this person's email), the email is rerouted to the Templafy Email Signature Server. 
4. The signature is added, and the email is returned to the Exchange Online server.
5. The email is now processed directly from the Exchange Online Server and sent to the recipient.

Solutions

Templafy offers two ways to append these signatures server-side: Client-Hosted and Templafy-Hosted.

The main difference between the two is where the Templafy Email Signature Server is located and hosted. 

Client-Hosted Email Signature Server

Client-hosted means that the client (customer) deploys, installs, and hosts the Templafy Email Signature Server (in a docker container) in their own Azure tenant. It is a Self-hosted solution that doesn't allow the re-routing of emails outside of the company's servers.

Templafy will provide:

• Access to the Templafy Email Signature Manager in the Admin Center.
• Access to the Docker image of the latest version of Templafy Email Signature Server for Microsoft 365.
• Periodic updates in the form of new Docker images (client is responsible for deployment).
• Implementation assistance.

Requirements

Exchange Online:

• Microsoft 365 subscription with Exchange Online.  ​
• During the implementation call, an IT administrator with Exchange Administration and Application Administrator (or Global Administration) rights to Microsoft 365 subscription must be present. ​
• Allow to set up an inbound and an outbound connector from Exchange Online to Templafy Email Signature Server.​
• Allow access to users’ mailboxes through Graph API to update the sent items in the sender’s mailbox with the email signature.​

Deployment​:

• Azure subscription with an Enterprise Agreement or Microsoft Customer Agreement. It must have outgoing port 25 unblocked at the subscription level.​
• Allow the deployment of a Docker container orchestration service setup (e.g. Kubernetes Service) to host the Templafy Email Signature Server Docker image. ​
• During the implementation call, an IT administrator with Global Administration rights to the Azure subscription must be present. ​
• Deployment of an Azure Blob Storage Account dedicated to Templafy Email Signatures for Microsoft 365. Full access to said storage account for Email Signature Server, where the email signatures generated by Templafy Servers are stored and where the Email Signature Server stores its log files.

Templafy-Hosted Email Signature Server

Templafy-hosted means that Templafy hosts the Templafy Email Signature Server (docker containers) in its own Azure tenant. It requires that emails are re-routed to Templafy's servers before returning them to Exchange Online with the signature already affixed.

Templafy will provide:

• Full support / maintenance of the server.
• Implementation assistance.

Requirements

Exchange Online​:

• Microsoft 365 subscription with Exchange Online and active Exchange Online Mailboxes.
• Exchange Administration and Application Administrator (or Global Administration) rights to Microsoft 365 subscription.
• Send us the email volume your organization has at its peak. We need this to set an appropriate scaling for the server deployment on our side.

Deployment:

• During the implementation call, an IT administrator with Global Administration rights to the Microsoft Entra ID tenant associated with the Microsoft 365 subscription must be present. This is needed as we will need to add the App registration that will allow the Email Signature Server to update the mail item in the Sent Items folder of the user.