Summary
Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) is not designed to monitor the reputation of domains hosted by Office 365 tenants. Instead, SNDS provides crucial data to external senders, focusing on the reputation of their IP addresses when sending email to Microsoft's consumer and enterprise email systems, including Outlook.com and Exchange Online Protection. Reputation for domains hosted within Office 365 is managed internally through distinct Microsoft 365 Defender mechanisms.
Key findings
- SNDS Scope: Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) is a free tool primarily for email senders to monitor their IP reputation and delivery health when sending emails *to* Microsoft domains like Outlook.com and Exchange Online Protection.
- No O365 Hosted Domain Monitoring: SNDS does not monitor or provide reputation data for domains hosted by Office 365 tenants. Its purpose is to help diagnose deliverability issues for external senders to Microsoft's mail systems, not to track the reputation of domains managed internally by Office 365.
- Internal O365 Reputation Management: Office 365 uses its own internal security and filtering mechanisms, such as those found in Microsoft 365 Defender, to manage the reputation and security of domains hosted within its environment.
Key considerations
- Focus on Sending IPs: SNDS provides data related to the reputation of your sending IP addresses when you send email to Microsoft's networks. It is a tool for outbound senders, not for internal monitoring of Office 365 hosted domains.
- Office 365 Internal Controls: Domains hosted within Office 365 environments are governed by Microsoft's internal reputation and filtering mechanisms, such as those within Microsoft 365 Defender, rather than being monitored by SNDS.
- Distinguish Services: It's crucial to differentiate between Outlook.com, a consumer-focused email service to which external senders send mail, and Office 365, which hosts organizational domains. SNDS applies to the former in terms of monitoring external IP reputation, not to the latter's hosted domain reputation.
What email marketers say
7 marketer opinions
Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) is a specialized tool for external email senders to monitor their sending IP reputation and deliverability performance when interacting with Microsoft's email infrastructure. It provides crucial data to help identify and resolve issues impacting email delivery *to* Microsoft recipients. However, SNDS is not designed to, and does not, monitor the reputation of domains hosted by Office 365 tenants. The reputation and security of domains residing within Office 365 environments are managed internally through Microsoft's proprietary systems, such as Microsoft 365 Defender.
Key opinions
- SNDS Monitors Sending IPs: Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) is primarily a free tool for email senders to track the reputation of their IP addresses and monitor delivery health when sending emails *to* Microsoft's various email systems, including Outlook.com and Exchange Online Protection.
- No Monitoring of Hosted O365 Domains: SNDS does not provide reputation monitoring or data for domains that are *hosted by* Office 365 tenants themselves. Its scope is explicitly limited to the reputation of the *sending IPs* delivering mail *to* Microsoft.
- Internal Reputation Management: The reputation of domains hosted within Office 365 environments is managed internally by Microsoft through its own sophisticated filtering and security mechanisms, such as Defender for Office 365 services, not via the public-facing SNDS tool.
Key considerations
- External vs. Internal Scope: SNDS provides reputation data for your sending IP addresses when you transmit email to Microsoft's various mail systems. It is not designed to offer insights into, or monitor, the reputation of domains residing within Office 365 tenants.
- Separate Monitoring Tools: While SNDS is a valuable tool for external deliverability to Microsoft recipients, domains hosted by Office 365 are managed and monitored by Microsoft's internal security and filtering mechanisms, such as those found in Microsoft 365 Defender services.
- Understanding SNDS Purpose: It's important to understand that SNDS serves high-volume senders by helping them identify and resolve deliverability issues when sending emails to Outlook.com and other Microsoft-managed inboxes, focusing on the health of the sender's IP, not the reputation of domains hosted by Microsoft 365 customers.
Marketer view
Email marketer from SparkPost (a MessageBird company) shares that Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) is a free tool primarily for senders to monitor their IP reputation and delivery health when sending emails to Microsoft domains. It does not monitor the reputation of domains hosted by Office 365 tenants themselves.
20 Jul 2022 - SparkPost Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from Valimail explains that SNDS is a tool for email senders to track their sending reputation with Microsoft, offering data like complaint rates and spam trap hits for the IP addresses they use to send email to Microsoft recipients. It is not designed to monitor the reputation of domains that are hosted by Office 365, which have their own internal reputation and filtering mechanisms.
25 Jul 2023 - Valimail Blog
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) does not extend its reputation monitoring to domains hosted within Office 365 environments. Instead, SNDS is specifically designed for external senders, offering insights into the reputation of their sending IP addresses when delivering email to Microsoft's consumer-facing services such as Outlook.com and Hotmail. For domains hosted by Office 365, Microsoft employs distinct internal filtering and reputation systems, like Defender for Office 365, to manage their security and deliverability performance.
Key opinions
- SNDS Domain Scope: Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) does not monitor or provide reputation data for domains hosted by Office 365 tenants. Its scope is explicitly limited to consumer email services like Outlook.com and Hotmail.
- Separate O365 Systems: Office 365 utilizes its own internal, proprietary filtering and reputation systems, such as Defender for Office 365, to manage the standing of domains hosted within its cloud environment.
- SNDS for External Senders: SNDS is primarily a resource for external email senders to track the health and reputation of their IP addresses when sending mail to Microsoft's consumer services, not for internal Office 365 domain management.
Key considerations
- Distinguish Services: It is crucial to understand that Outlook.com and Office 365 represent distinct Microsoft email solutions. SNDS applies to the former for external IP reputation, not to the latter's hosted domains.
- Internal O365 Controls: The reputation and deliverability of domains hosted on Office 365 are managed internally by Microsoft's security measures, including components of Microsoft 365 Defender, which operate independently of SNDS.
- SNDS Focus: Remember that SNDS is a tool for diagnosing deliverability issues from your sending infrastructure to Microsoft, rather than a system for monitoring the reputation of domains you host with Office 365.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Microsoft's SNDS does not cover domains hosted by Office 365.
31 Jan 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Microsoft SNDS is only for outlook.com hosted domains and clarifies that outlook.com and Office 365 are two different solutions.
19 Oct 2021 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) provides valuable insights into email deliverability, but its scope is specifically limited to the reputation of IP addresses that send email to Microsoft's various mail systems. It does not monitor the reputation of domains hosted within Office 365 environments; these are managed by Microsoft's internal security and compliance mechanisms.
Key findings
- SNDS Focus: External IPs: Microsoft's SNDS tool provides data for the reputation of IP addresses that send email to Microsoft's consumer and enterprise platforms, such as Outlook.com and Exchange Online Protection.
- No O365 Hosted Domain Reputation: SNDS is not designed to, and does not, monitor the specific reputation of domains that are hosted within an Office 365 tenancy or provide data regarding them.
- Internal O365 Security Measures: The security and reputation of domains hosted by Office 365 are handled internally by Microsoft's own protective services, including components of Microsoft 365 Defender, which operate independently of SNDS.
Key considerations
- SNDS for Outbound Deliverability: SNDS is a resource for external senders to diagnose and improve their email deliverability to Microsoft networks, offering insights into their sending IP's health, rather than a service for internal domain monitoring.
- O365 Internal Reputation: Reputation management for domains hosted within Office 365 is managed by Microsoft's internal systems, ensuring their security and compliance without reliance on the external-facing SNDS.
- Service Purpose Clarification: It's important to differentiate between SNDS's purpose-assisting external senders with IP reputation to Microsoft's networks-and Microsoft's internal management of Office 365 hosted domain reputations.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) provides data about IP addresses that are sending email to Outlook.com, which is part of Microsoft 365, to help senders understand their email traffic and reputation with Microsoft. It is designed for outbound senders to Microsoft networks, not for monitoring the reputation of domains hosted within Office 365.
22 Jan 2025 - Microsoft Learn
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Community Hub clarifies that SNDS is for external senders to diagnose deliverability issues when sending to Microsoft's mail systems, including Outlook.com and Exchange Online Protection. It provides data for IPs that send mail *to* Microsoft, rather than monitoring the specific reputation of domains *hosted within* an Office 365 tenancy.
18 Dec 2024 - Microsoft Community Hub
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