The Email Wars

Microsoft’s New Smart Network Data Services

This is actually one of the better programs that I have seen in a while that allows an ESP to better monitor email delivery and what is junked. All ISPs should look at providing these tools as it not only helps with delivery monitoriing, but also helps with the spoofing of domains we see so often.

What is SNDS?
Smart Network Data Services (SNDS), powered by MSN, is a revolutionary MSN Hotmail initiative, designed to allow everyone who owns IP space to contribute to the fight against spam and protect e-mail as a valued communications, productivity and commerce tool. Hotmail, with around 200 million active user accounts world-wide, is in a unique position to collect and analyze e-mail activity data. By providing that data to service providers, most who wouldn’t have access to any such data, they are empowered to use their relationship with their customers to prevent spam from originating within their IP space. The overarching goal of SNDS is to make the Internet a better, safer place. Working together, Hotmail and service providers can make their respective customers happier and more satisfied with the various services we all provide.

How does it work?
The basis of SNDS is that, once someone can prove that they own an IP range and, Hotmail can give that person data about the volume and spam characteristics of the mail traffic those IPs have sent to Hotmail and the other domains it hosts. The data represents factual information about what actually transpired–it’s effectively built from the log files of the inbound mail machines and other servers at Hotmail. The consumer of this data is empowered to take whatever action is appropriate. This could range from decommissioning a forgotten machine, to increasing the security measures for the host or network, to working with the person or organization who was responsible for a host during a period of recorded activity.

Read more