SMX – From lone inbox defender to part of a cybersecurity dream team

 |   Microsoft New Zealand News Centre

SMX’s partnership with Microsoft helps businesses integrate the very best email cyber security with one of the world’s most trusted digital platforms. Having won rave reviews from businesses across Australasia (and beyond) for its outstanding email security, SMX has now captured the attention of global infrastructure and services tech giant, NTT. Joining forces through the power of the Microsoft global network, they’re now on a mission to protect businesses from all kinds of threats around the world.  

When electronic messaging was first introduced in the 1970s, the world of communication changed dramatically.  Early dilemmas included how to direct the message from one computer to another, how to store the messages, and how to send them outside of their existing networks.  Now, with around 3.9 billion active email users, more than half the global population, one of the major challenges is preventing certain emails from getting through. 

From business and reputational damage to lasting financial impacts, we’ve all seen or heard about ‘those’ phishing emails that can cause an enormous amount of disruption and stress within the workplace. According to Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report, phishing accounts for around 70 per cent of global data breaches. But all sorts of cybercrime are on the rise, especially as so many companies around the world have digitised in response to Covid-19 and customer demand. This has proved rich new territory for cybercriminals, meaning more than ever, email and domain security has moved from being seen as an optional ‘cost’ to an essential part of maintaining business operations. 

With over 17 years’ experience developing, deploying and supporting email services for enterprise and email providers throughout Australasia, Microsoft partner SMX is leading the way in preventing cyber-attacks on businesses. By simplifying cloud migration, it’s enabling hundreds of public and private sector businesses to adopt Office 365 email and archiving faster, and protect their IP.  Just as importantly, it’s helping address a common problem – security workarounds that regularly expose organisations to risk. 

SMX + Microsoft 365 = SMX 365 

With the rise of cloud computing there has been a very high adoption rate of Microsoft 365 throughout New Zealand and Australia, which has changed how organisations deliver cybersecurity. Many email security solutions in the market interfere with and compromise Microsoft 365’s security protections, asking users to turn off certain security features on their firewalls. 

SMX saw an opportunity to use their specialist email security experience for a common good. It partnered with Microsoft to develop and deliver a multi-layered email security service that seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365. Using advanced threat detection coupled with artificial intelligence technologies, SMX 365 provides the ultimate solution for businesses wanting complete protection without having to fiddle with any background settings. 

“The difference with SMX 365 is that it works ‘with’ Microsoft 365 security features, rather than asking users to turn them off, providing a much stronger level of protection against cybersecurity,” says SMX CEO Richard Fraser. 

“SMX 365 uses a ‘better together’, in-depth defence approach, combining SMX and Microsoft 365 security features. This ensures businesses can use and optimise Microsoft 365’s security features with an added layer of SMX security, which can be managed within one dashboard.” 

From spotting when a senior manager who ‘just needs a quick favour’ is really a scammer in disguise, to triaging security signals with the latest technology, SMX 365 helps to distinguish the difference between spam and business-critical emails. This enables every message to reach the right inbox, so employees aren’t having to check spam and junk email folders to find important emails that should be landing in their inbox.   

The Azure based cloud management portal enables easy access to reporting and helps manage complex workflows and rules so businesses can get up-to-date analytics on how their email threats are being supported by SMX 365 and manage the flow of email for themselves.   

Since SMX 365 was developed, the business continues to grow from strength to strength. Becoming a Microsoft ISV Partner has enabled SMX to build its solutions alongside Microsoft 365, also receiving support to market its products to other partners in Microsoft’s network, and reach millions of cloud customers via Microsoft’s commercial marketplace.  

It’s also opened the door to a new global relationship… 

Partners in cyber crimefighting 

With SMX being recognised as one of the most trusted email security solutions, it caught the eye of NTT, a leading IT infrastructure and services company that operates in over 200 countries and regions, serving around 5,000 clients. 

Recognised as a Microsoft Global Gold Partner, an Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP), Exclusive Azure Networking MSP and with a SAP on Azure advanced specialisation, NTT are well-known for their outstanding Microsoft expertise, winning many Partner Awards throughout the years.  

“Both NTT and SMX are aligned on advanced security solutions. Partnering with SMX gives our customers access to the latest technologies, premium technical support and the ability to join our team offering specialist technology solutions, helping our customers continue to safely and securely grow their businesses, whilst minimising cyber security threats,” says Dan Owen, General Manager of Digital Transformations at NTT. 

“Since the Covid pandemic, we’ve seen more and more businesses turn to hybrid working.  Now is the time to be investing in cyber security and so it is great to be able to work alongside other Microsoft partners, such as SMX, to be able to offer advanced security solutions to our customers.” 

Microsoft New Zealand Partner Lead, Matt Bostwick, is excited to see partners working together so well.  

“So many of our conversations these days are about collaboration, and the importance of creating a tech ecosystem that shares knowledge and expertise to create something even better than any one business alone. What this deal shows is that there are huge opportunities for New Zealand tech companies to partner for success and deliver more to their customers,” he says.  

“SMX is a highly valued and trusted innovator with Microsoft IP and to see our other partners taking advantage of and working with their expertise in cyber security is fantastic. We hope to see both SMX and NTT grow even further together.”