Skip to main content

Last updated: 2025-09-19


Integrations - Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)


Overview


The Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) integration enables users to send large numbers of e-mail messages from SmartOffice with a high degree of confidence that those messages will reach their intended recipients. By leveraging Amazon SES's reputation protection features, users can avoid situations in which their e-mail messages are blocked by e-mail providers' junk e-mail filters.


Amazon SES is the recommended method for sending high volumes of e-mail from SmartOffice. Amazon charges a flat fee for every 1,000 e-mails sent. For more information about Amazon SES, go to the Amazon SES website.


Important: For non-enterprise customers, Amazon SES integration is currently not compatible with e-mail alert notifications sent from SmartOffice. If you or other users in your office have e-mail alert notifications enabled in User Preferences - Basic Info, those notifications will no longer work once the integration is set up. One workaround for this issue is to enable SMS text notifications instead.


Requirements


  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) account: You can sign up for a free account at the AWS website. Note:
  • When asked to select a support plan, you can select the free Basic plan.
  • If you encounter any issues during the account setup process, refer to Amazon's AWS setup help page.

Setup


Important: This setup procedure is recommended for organizations who plan to send no more than 5,000 e-mail messages per day. Due to more stringent requirements for accepting mass e-mail imposed by Google and Yahoo! in February 2024, sending more than 5,000 messages per day requires additional setup. Learn more.


To enable the Amazon SES integration, follow the steps in this section to configure Amazon SES and SmartOffice.


  1. Access the AWS Management Console:
  2. Go to the console website.
  3. Select Sign in to the Console.
  4. On the console sign-in page, select Root User, and then sign in using the e-mail address you used to register for your AWS account.
  1. Create a user account for outbound (SMTP) e-mail sending through Amazon SES:
  2. At the top of the AWS Management Console page, select Services \> Business Applications \> Amazon Simple Email Service.
  3. On the Amazon Simple Email Service page, open the left navigation menu and select SMTP Settings.
  4. Find the SMTP endpoint name on the page and copy it to a text file or other location (you will need this information later during SmartOffice setup).
  5. Select Create SMTP Credentials.
  6. Leave the default user name and select Create user.
  7. When you see the Retrieve SMTP Credentials page, copy all of the displayed credentials to a text file, or select Download .csv file. Store this information in a secure location.

Important: If you leave this page without saving the SMTP user name and password, you will have to start the outbound SMTP user account creation process again.


  1. Select Return to SES Console.
  1. Verify the e-mail addresses of the people in your organization who will be sending e-mail through SmartOffice:
  2. On the Amazon Simple Email Service page, open the left navigation menu and select Verified Identities.
  3. Select Create Identity, and then select Email Address.
  4. Enter an e-mail address, and then select Create Identity.
  5. Repeat these steps for each SmartOffice user you want to add as a verified sender. Amazon sends an e-mail to each person with instructions to click a verification link.

Important: Each person who wants to send e-mail through SmartOffice must click the link in the verification e-mail to complete the verification process.


  1. To check an e-mail address's verification status, visit or refresh the Verified Identities page in Amazon SES and look for the "verified" message in the Identity Status column.
  1. Configure outbound (SMTP) e-mail settings in SmartOffice Pro:
  2. Sign in to SmartOffice Pro.
  3. From the side menu, select Setup \> Office Settings to open the office Detail content link.

Note: You must have the Administrator: User Rights \& Creation/Licenses/Groups user right in SmartOffice to see this option. Learn more about user rights.


  1. Under Send Options - Form Letters, select Custom E-mail Server (SMTP).
  2. Select Menu \> Save.
  3. Under Outgoing E-mail (SMTP) Settings, enter the following information :
  • SMTP Server Address: Enter the SMTP endpoint address you copied from the Amazon SES SMTP Settings page.
  • SMTP Server Port:: 587
  • E-mail Account User Name: Enter the SMTP user name you created on the Amazon SES SMTP setup page.
  • E-mail Account Password: Enter the SMTP password you created on the Amazon SES SMTP setup page.
  • Connect Securely with SSL: No
  • Connect Securely with TLS: Yes 6. Select Menu \> Save. 7. Select the Test button. 8. Enter one of the e-mail addresses you added to Amazon SES earlier as a verified identity, and then select Send. If you entered the SMTP settings correctly, you will see a confirmation message stating that the test message was sent successfully. If you receive an error, do the following:
  • Make sure the e-mail address specified on your SmartOffice user account (on the user account Detail content link) is one of the verified e-mail address identities you added to Amazon SES previously.
  • Make sure the e-mail address you send the test message to is also be one of the verified e-mail address identities you added to Amazon SES previously. This requirement is due to Amazon SES's "sandbox" restrictions on new SES accounts; you will be able to remove these restrictions later (for more information, see Testing in the Sandbox).
  1. Check the e-mail account to verify receipt of the test message. If you do not see the test message after a few minutes, check your junk e-mail folder. If you still do not see the message, recheck your settings.
  2. Once you verify receipt of the test message, go back to SmartOffice and, under Send Options - Form Letters, select SmartOffice E-mail Server.
  3. Select Menu \> Save.

Using the Integration


Testing in the "Sandbox"


Once setup is complete in Amazon SES and SmartOffice Pro, you can begin sending correspondence from SmartOffice. However, note that your new Amazon SES account is placed in a restricted "sandbox" environment that allows you to send no more than 200 e-mails in any 24-hour period. In addition, you can send e-mail only to these recipients:


The sandbox is meant to prevent e-mail abuse and preserve Amazon SES's reputation with e-mail providers while allowing you to test your e-mail settings. Try sending some test e-mails to determine whether everything is working properly (keep in mind that these e-mails count toward your quota). If you encounter any issues, review the steps in the Setup section to make sure you have configured everything correctly.


Removing Sandbox Restrictions


When you are ready to have your sandbox restrictions lifted, send your request to Amazon directly using the instructions in Amazon's guide. Here are a few tips for filling out your request:


  • Enter the Mail Type as Transactional.
  • Keep in mind that Amazon wants confirmation that you intend to send e-mail only to recipients who have requested to receive e-mails from your organization (e.g., your clients, vendors, etc.). Any indication in your request that you plan to send unsolicited e-mail will likely result in your request being denied.

Frequently Asked Questions


If your question is not answered below, try the Amazon SES website. Is there a daily limit of e-mails that can be sent through Amazon SES? If yes, what is the limit? And will any remaining e-mails be sent the next day?


Yes, Amazon imposes a quota on the number of e-mails that can be sent in a 24-hour period (for more information, see Service Quotas in Amazon SES). When you request that your sandbox restrictions be lifted (see the previous section), you can request a quota increase based on your needs. Messages that exceed the quota are rejected and are not sent the next day.


Does this work for organizations that use office hierarchies in SmartOffice? For example, can you force a child office to use Amazon SES?


Yes. In an office hierarchy, an Enterprise View user who has the Administrator: User Rights \& Creation/Licenses/Groups user right can change the office settings of a lower offices. With that capability, the user can change each child office's SMTP settings to the appropriate Amazon SES settings.


How will I be billed for e-mails sent through SES? You will be billed by Amazon directly. Fees for e-mails sent through SES are billed monthly.


What types of payment does Amazon accept for SES? Amazon accepts payment by credit card.