SendGrid and Exchange E-mail Administration

SendGrid and Exchange

From the pocbooks.com archives Aug 14, 2017 SendGrid by Eli and James on Exchange E-mail Administration.

In the link below is a review by Eli the Computer Guy on the benefits of using Send Grid.
Eli tells us within ten minutes why he uses this service for Geek Brain Dump.
SendGrid for SMTP Relay
Since Eli the Computer Guy is “smart on” in the application of technology, I will be applying this piece of advice in the near future to some of my solutions. The video is worth your time to watch it.

Eli the Computer Guy Advice Angle
Viewers of Eli the Computer Guy, appreciate that he addresses the “real business world of technology” from an angle of how quickly he can get you up to speed, and making money to support yourself. So if the world of technology is a maze filled with many rooms, his advice helps you to take the quickest route to the room where you belong. This is why IMHO in times past he has recommended instead of learning C, Java, etc.… He may recommend learning PHP instead. The logic is this. If the determined and self-disciplined person really wants to be up and (making money) running in less than 6 months to a year, then PHP would be a smart move for this time frame in Information Technology history. Eli was providing good advice in this area and others. Always keep in mind, a lot of his advice IMHO is a means to an end. Namely, How quickly you can  accomplish the goal of making a living in the technology field, all the while doing a job you love to do

E-mail Administration by Exchange or Linux
Over the past year, Eli intimated more than once (I’m paraphrasing) ‘Why anyone would still learn how to setup and administer an e-mail server whether it is by Microsoft Exchange server or Linux?’ He brings out the nominal cost to purchase the service without the headache of administering an (viewed as a complex beast by a lot of people) Exchange server. He makes valid observations.
Questions deserve appropriate answers. First, allow me to make clear this is not to disagree with Eli on his assessment in general why people and some businesses would pay for hosted services like e-mail. No, Eli once again, is “smart on” in the practicality of a solution that would fit a large number of people and organizations. (SEE first subheading) This heading is to be a complement in the choice of e-mail administration. Inasmuch, why you may still learn to configure e-mail servers and\or do it yourself.
This section will elaborate further on the very people Eli referenced you would pay to receive services like e-mail from them. The multi-leveled Internet, webhosting, e-mail, and service providing companies still need people who can work for them who are proficient with exchange servers and Linux administration.
Therefore, if you desire to be a systems administrator, security advisor or consultant working with not only local but international businesses, you will find out the following:
A) You can be charged with setting up remote offices (around the world) that in general need interoffice communications and other services that will allow productivity to continue even if persons are cut off from the “cloud”, so to speak; for a period of time.
B) The more you know how things work, the more you can be assured the service is being implemented correctly.
Imagine having a person contact you. He\She feels the SLA (Service Level Agreement) is not being fulfilled from their “cloud service” provider with bandwidth issues, vpn, e-mail and you can probably name more services. But the individual who contacted you is unable to even get past tier 1 of their service provider. Because the customer (he\she) is being blamed for whatever the problem happens to be.
You sympathize with the one that contacts you and express further, “Don’t worry, I will take care of it.” What do you think will be the end result? Once you contact the company, Tier 2 or 3 engineers see it in their best interest to address what is happening on their servers.
Things like the (QOS) Quality of Service rules decided to turn off and\or change ports (yes, even on e-mail servers), along with other services, like VPN(Virtual Private Networks), because of the location of the person, company or business. Has a recipient policy become corrupted somehow? All the while it may look like the servers are humming along. You may even find the upper tier levels are aware of the situation.
Maybe, after their conversation with you, they will make improvements with questions like these:

• Did anyone think to notify the customer?
• At the very least, shouldn’t tier 1 have been made aware of the changes?

In the end, thankfully, you are able to help the “cloud service” provider to take a look at early on some things that could have been on the “list of things” to do on the weekend.

C) Again, it boils down to what you desire to do. As a technologist and consultant, you will run into clients who do not like to put all their “eggs into one basket.” In other words, keeping mission critical data for local access. It can be replicated\backed up\imaged to the cloud from there. SIDE NOTE: When it comes to cloud services, I recommend a “hybrid” form instead of the whole business being on the Internet. Even if your high-speed fiber channels go down, you still have access you your local data. Keep this in mind about POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). When the physical structures\connections are in place, they often have the ability to work (dial tone) when Ethernet\fiber channels are down. Breakout a working 56k modem, from the 19 hundreds, and send plain text emails without attachments. You can research the companies that provide dial-up service. Depending on the applicable scenario, think of it as a contingency plan.

D) There is always a need for experienced individuals who can not only understand these tools, but can teach and implement such tools, if necessary, services that branch out from the spine of the Internet.

Hence, to recap the points. Eli, who has high value to his opinion in the technology field, has provided good advice in this area of using SMTP relay services.

As an informational note, it was shared if you are planning to work in some of these “cloud service” providers or being an enterprise level systems administrator, it is more than helpful to have such knowledge of Linux administration of e-mail and exchange server’s experience.

FYI, Exchange server administrators still make an average salary of 25-40 dollars an hour; or 50k and above a year.

(Humor) Even though most Exchange administrators (Early 2,000) are no longer able to exercise a secondary skill with crossword puzzles at their desk for half a work day until called upon, if this is still something you find of interests, it is helpful to learn the ins and outs by having at the very least a lab environment with an Exchange or Linux e-mail server present. – (Smile) You Exchange administrators. We know you work hard. (You can go back to sleep now)

IHMO-As always, the Internet is ever evolving, these are just points of observation up this point of 2014. You have to decide what works best for your life.