Why and how Bluetooth SIG Deploys Millions of business critical emails using a Microsoft Azure hosted PowerMTA

Bluetooth
"PowerMTA™ and Postmastery have provided Bluetooth SIG the ultimate Azure based email
solution; fully managed with 100% visibility."

Case study with: Jeremy Syme
Program Manager at Bluetooth SIG

Business benefits to Bluetooth SIG

  • Seamless integration between email distribution list system Reflector and PowerMTA;
  • Legendary MTA stability at a reasonable price point;
  • Multi regional and redundant PowerMTA based system running on Azure;
  • Turn-key implementation of PowerMTA;
  • Expert-level & real time support and deliverability monitoring via Postmastery's Delivery Analytics offering.

Overview

Bluetooth® technology is the fastest growing global standard for device-to-device communications and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG), is the company at the heart of the Bluetooth industry. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is a network of member organizations that are the caretakers and innovators of Bluetooth technology.

Bluetooth SIG, deploys hundreds of thousands of automated outbound messages daily and successful email delivery is critical to Bluetooth SIG operation as an organization. Prior to selecting PowerMTA™, Bluetooth utilized a combined solution based on an in-house Windows SMTP service and an Email Delivery Service provider. Due to various technical constraints Bluetooth SIG started an RFP process early 2018.

Project Goals

The following RFP project goals per defined:

  • Select MTA that can meet the technical requirements;
  • Design and implement an MTA instance(s) in Window Azure;
  • Plan for internal staff management effort post launch;
  • Engage vendor in post-launch support agreement for deliverability and other services.

Technical Requirements

Bluetooth SIG was looking to confirm that the MTA can be implemented with the following requirements:

  • Can be installed and operated according to exacting requirements related to message construction;
  • Will allow sending of messages with up to several thousand recipients on the message. The
    current maximum recipient number is 1,400 and that number will continue to grow over time;
  • Allow messages also from *@bluetooth.org to be sent through the existing Delivery Service provider;
  • Confirm that the MTA can send messages following a specific custom structure.

The Solution: a multi-regional and redundant PMTA based system running on Azure

After a successful Proof-of-Concept, both Bluetooth SIG and Postmastery determined that PowerMTA was the best option. The integration, implementation, and extensive IP-warmup process was completed in two months. The diagram and the Reflector-PMTA email chain was fully up-and-running.

In below picture an outline of the current architecture:
PowerMAzure based architecture

Multi regional and redundant PMTA based system running on Azure
The current system is fully redundant and spans multiple Azure regions. That ensure that Bluetooth SIG remain operational nearly 100% of the time regardless of outages or planned maintenance.

Takeaways and deciding factors
"IP warming was incredibly important to ensuring that we had uninterrupted mail delivery during the cutover, the PowerMTA configuration created by Postmastery made it effortless for us to continually adjust the plan and hit our warming goals. The Postmastery delivery analytics product has been invaluable and provided insights we have never had on our delivery. Postmastery was easy to work with and rapidly adjusted to our evolving needs."
Jeremy Syme - Program Manager at Bluetooth SIG

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