Changing your email service provider, or ESP, as they are more commonly known, is not uncommon. It might be that you have grown out of your current provider, or you just aren’t getting the service and support you need. That’s normal.
Moving to a new provider, whilst not always complex, can bring about its challenges.
Swift Digital has helped several public sector departments make that move over the last 20 years, and they haven’t looked back.
Swift Digital’s Production and Onboarding manager of five years, Kimberley Key, explains the five key things the public sector should consider when moving to a new email service provider and lists the components that can spell out the difference between switching success and failure.
1. Australian Hosted Data
“We are seeing an increasing trend in the public sector requiring their data to be stored within Australian data centres and kept on Australian shores,” states Key.
“The need to host data in Australia is not a new trend, but it is a trend that is becoming more important within the government.”
The Australian government are becoming more concerned with how the data of their citizens and stakeholders is being used, stored and kept. Data held in Australia is fully compliant with Australian anti-spam and privacy laws.
Global uncertainty and unrest between countries can increase cyber-attack risk and threaten data sovereignty. Knowing what happens to your data and where it is hosted has become essential.
2. Resources and Training
One of the biggest challenges the public sector continues to face is staff retention in their teams. To retain your valuable team members, it is vital that you can provide them with opportunities to up-skill and excel.
Swift Digital works with a range of Australian government departments and know first-hand the repercussions that staff turnover can have on a team.
Introducing new software and platforms to teams can have mixed reactions. Some team members embrace the new opportunity to learn, while others can feel overwhelmed with learning another new technology.
With the right support and service, it doesn’t have to be that way. When considering a new ESP, ask about three key things: training, support, and resources.
A good ESP will offer free training to ensure everybody has the opportunity to learn, excel and have a good pool of resources to help you succeed in your role. They should have in-depth videos, a library of knowledge bases and real-life, real-time Australian chat support available whenever you need it.
3. Email Deliverability
Email deliverability is the unsung hero of successful email communications. Email deliverability traditionally has fallen in the hands of the IT team, but not anymore.
Marketing and communications teams working within the government have started to take more interest in this area, and rightly so.
But email deliverability can be a complete minefield to those not in the know, and it is constantly changing.
That’s why, if you are considering changing ESPs, you should ask,“Does my account come with an email deliverability manager?”
An email deliverability specialist is the supervisor of your email communications and is there to help you define a strategy that ensures you have the best-sending reputation possible and strengthen the credibility of your emails, making your experience with your new ESP much smoother.
Email deliverability managers can help you set up all your deliverability components and assist in troubleshooting any issues with your email deliverability. This is extremely important because stakeholder emails can be more complex than personal emails.
4. Secure Data and Cyber Security
With cyber-attacks on the rise, it is more important to use third-party software and platforms that not only talk about data and security, but also act on it and have methods in place to protect your data.
When considering another ESP, you should ensure that the new ESP performs regular security platform updates, including running regular manual and automatic penetration tests. You should also ask to see the ESPs latest penetration test results. A good ESP will be happy to supply these.
Ask the ESP how they use and store your data and ensure that they are transparent with this information.
Other security layers you should check are available with your new ESP are multi-factor authentication and single sign-on.
5. Australian Government Certification
Data sovereignty as a whole is becoming increasingly important, if not vital, to the public sector. So how do we identify ESPs with authority in these spaces and who are well-positioned to service the public sector on these elements?
Certifications and Australian government accreditations are a good starting point.
Ask your ESP for their Australian certifications and certifications for the government particularly.
Some specific certifications to ask for are; APP, IRAP certification, Advanced Registration Supplier List (NSW) – SCM0020, QAssure and GITC accreditation.
Download Swift Digital’s data and security platform checklist to run security health checks on your organisation, third-party platforms, and vendors.
