Spark replaces Yahoo with SMX Managed Messaging email solution

New Zealand’s largest Telco and email service provider, Spark, has migrated more than 800,000 Xtra Mail customers from Yahoo to a locally-developed cloud email platform from SMX.

The customer migration from Yahoo to SMX was carried out over a three-month period, starting in February and completing in April this year. Spark Home Mobile and Business CEO, Jason Paris says the SMX Managed Messaging implementation was completed on time and to budget.

“We’ve achieved what we set out to do, which is to replace Yahoo with a robust email service, protected by world class security,” Paris says. “We’re also really pleased to offer our customers an email platform with a user experience we can have a say on – that, importantly, isn’t cluttered with advertising.”

Paris says, “From an operational perspective, there are many advantages in having our email platform hosted locally under our control and with provisioning, security and reporting all integrated into a single platform.

“Our email platform is an important value added service that helps build customer loyalty – and it’s great to be offering it from a cloud based platform that we can rely on. The bottom line is that we can now offer a much better customer experience.”

SMX CEO Ian McDonald says the SMX Managing Messaging solution for Spark is built on the SMX Email Admin Portal cloud integration platform and includes the SMX Secure Email Gateway alongside best-in-class email messaging applications. A key component is the Open-Xchange App Suite solution – a globally recognised product which is used by major companies including Virgin Media, Comcast and Orange.

McDonald says Spark’s migration from Yahoo to the SMX Managed Messaging platform is attracting strong international interest.

“Our email solution for Spark demonstrates that a powerful and affordable, fully-featured cloud email solution is now accessible to smaller Telcos and ISPs, as well as larger organisations looking for a proven, low risk replacement for Yahoo-based and other OTT email platforms,” McDonald says.

“Our work in developing both the Spark business mail platform and the Xtra Mail service provides strong references as we advance export opportunities for our cloud email messaging platform. We believe the international market opportunities are significant.”