I may need to take my size ten out of my mouth to put the other one in, but the limitation I find with sending email is often a security issue.
To reduce the risk of an email server being used as an open relay, they are often configured to only accept email under certain circumstances. My email server allows me to enforce username and password authentication before the mail is accepted, and I can also restrict email sending to one or more ip addresses on the domain. Which I do, as well as switch from the usual SMTP port and block that port at the internet router.
Coupled with other restrictions I have in place on the network, I can then limit the risk of my server being hijacked by one of the swarm of unwashed spam authors. However, for larger institutions, especially educational ones, the risk may be too high and knowing the name and port of the SMTP server may not be enough. Many clients I have worked with have flatly declined to allow SMTP access to anything except a duly authenticated email client of "brand X", from an IP address registered as active, sent by a user authenticated by active directory.
The consequence for users of foundation SAS is that the server, username and password need to be provided in the SAS config file before batch sending of emails will work. And the foot goes in my mouth because I don't know if EG has a similar requirement. Sending via a server under Management console may be less of an issue because usernames and passwords are encoded into the user manager and are thus more secure than a plain text file on the users computer.
Kind regards
David
