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Deprecation: SMTP authentication for Exchange Online

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Ole Dyring

By September 2025, Microsoft will end support for Basic SMTP authentication for cloud-based Exchange servers (Exchange Online). See this MS article: Deprecation of Basic authentication in Exchange Online

Note: This TARGIT Community article is only relevant if you are using Exchange Online for sending emails from the TARGIT Server. Open the TARGIT Management client and go to 'Setup' and 'Alerts and Notifications' to see which mail server you are currently using in your organization.

Below example shows how a TARGIT server that has been configured with Exchange Online may look like in a TARGIT Management client before upgrading to a version that supports alternative protocols.

To address the deprecation issue, TARGIT has added new options for connecting to an Exchange Online email server. The new options are available from these TARGIT Decision Suite versions:

  • TARGIT Cloud. Expected from 14th of May 2025.
  • TARGIT on-prem. From version 2025 May, expected release 28th of May 2025.

However, workarounds outside TARGIT do exist. These workarounds do not require upgrading your TARGIT installation. Below is a list of pros and cons of the various options.

Options - pros and cons

Options Pros Cons Reference
Configure TARGIT to use MS Graph API

Switch your email server configuration in TARGIT Management from SMTP to MS Graph.
  • This is the recommended modern authentication method by Microsoft
  • Better security and compliance
  • Future-proof. Microsoft Graph is the strategic API platform Microsoft is investing in
  • You will need to upgrade your TARGIT installation (Cloud customers are automatically upgraded)
 See the Required actions if configuring TARGIT to use MS Graph API section below

Use an SMTP Relay in Microsoft 365 (Unauthenticated Relay)*

Customers can configure Microsoft 365 to allow unauthenticated email relay from trusted IP addresses.
  • No need to upgrade TARGIT
  • Keep your current email server configuration in TARGIT Management
  • Can only send mails within the tenant (i.e. sender and recipient must belong to same domain)
  • Microsoft may soon deprecate this option as well 
 Microsoft Docs: Set up connectors to route mail between Microsoft 365 and your own email servers

Use a Third-Party SMTP Relay*

Customers can relay emails via a third-party SMTP provider.
  • No need to upgrade TARGIT
  • Often supports basic SMTP AUTH, even after Microsoft discontinues it.
  • Requires reconfiguration of your email server in TARGIT Management
  • Adds complexity
  • Potential cost and privacy considerations

Third-party SMTP Relay examples: SendGrid, Mailgun, On-prem Exchange server etc.

Use Microsoft Graph via an Intermediate Script or Proxy*

Translates SMTP calls to Graph API calls
  • No need to upgrade TARGIT
  • Keep your current email server configuration in TARGIT Management
  • Adds complexity and maintenance layer
  • Requires hosting and securing the bridge
  

* The solutions marked with an asterisk (*) are intended for customer-side implementation and are provided as-is. Please note that the asterisk-marked solutions fall outside the scope of our official support. This means our support team will not be able to assist with setup, troubleshooting, or customization related to these specific items.

 

Required actions if configuring TARGIT to use MS Graph API

If you are using an Exchange Online email server and want to use TARGIT's MS Graph API configuration option, before September 2025 you should go through these steps:

TARGIT Cloud installations:

    • For TARGIT Cloud installations, the upgrade to the version containing the MS Graph configuration option will happen automatically.
    • Go to this community article and "Follow" the article to get notified when the new functionality is available for Cloud installations: Cloud release information
    • Once upgraded, open the TARGIT Management client to change the authentication type from SMTP to MS Graph.

TARGIT on-prem installations:

    • For TARGIT on-prem installations, you will need to upgrade to the 2025 May version or later to get access to the MS Graph configuration option.
    • Go to this community article and "Follow" the article to get notified when the new functionality is available for on-prem installations: On-prem release information
    • Depending on which version you are upgrading from, additional steps may be required. See this article: TARGIT Upgrade process - from any version to latest version
    • Once upgraded to TARGIT 2025 May or later, open the TARGIT Management client to change the authentication type from SMTP to MS Graph.

The new options for email server types in the TARGIT Management client are:

  • SMTP (username and password) authentication. This is the option that will no longer be supported by the Microsoft Exchange Online server from September 2025. If your email server is not an Exchange Online server, you will be able to continue using the SMTP type without changes.
  • MS Graph authentication. From September 2025, use this type if your email server is a Microsoft Exchange Online server.
  • TARGIT Cloud. (Cloud customers only.) Use this option as an easy solution for sending emails from your TARGIT environment. With this option, you do not need to install or configure your own internal or external email server. This is a cloud-based email service, provided by TARGIT for TARGIT Cloud customers.

See this article for setting up a mail server in TARGIT Management: Email server setup - Alerts and Notifications

See this article for setting up a MS Graph API application in the Azure portal: Setting up MS Graph API authentication for Exchange Online

Example on mail setup in a version that supports alternative protocols:

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