Reliable email notifications are critical to both high availability and systems monitoring. For many years, HA4i and EM4i have included an integrated email client, allowing IBM i applications to generate and send alerts directly through a configured SMTP server.
As email providers continue to strengthen their security requirements, we’ve continued to enhance our products to ensure they remain simple to deploy while meeting modern authentication standards.
Our latest release introduces SMTP Basic Authentication, enabling HA4i and EM4i to authenticate directly with most modern SMTP services using Base64-encoded credentials (optionally over an encrypted TLS connection). The result is a much simpler deployment process—there is no longer a requirement to configure and maintain a local SMTP relay simply to forward notifications. Your IBM i communicates securely with the SMTP service just like any modern email client.
While OAuth 2.0 support is currently under development, Basic Authentication provides compatibility with the vast majority of SMTP services available today (with Microsoft Office 365 remaining an exception, as it requires OAuth 2.0 authentication).
To validate this enhancement, we selected SMTP2GO as our reference platform. The service proved to be an excellent fit for testing, with a straightforward configuration process and rapid deployment. Within minutes, our IBM i test LPARs were securely sending email notifications with minimal configuration. Based on our experience, SMTP2GO offers a simple and flexible option for customers deploying HA4i or EM4i who require a reliable SMTP service.
At Shield Advanced Solutions, product development is driven by customer feedback. Many of the new capabilities added to HA4i and EM4i originate from real-world requirements shared by IBM i professionals. Our focus is on reducing complexity, improving resilience, and delivering practical enhancements that make day-to-day system administration easier.
If you’re planning to modernize your IBM i email notifications, would like to see the new SMTP authentication capabilities in action, or simply want to learn more about HA4i and EM4i, we’d be pleased to arrange a demonstration. We’re continually investing in our products so IBM i customers can spend less time managing infrastructure and more time focusing on their business.