Revolutionizing email signature management: Make the switch from on-premises to the cloud
10 September 2024
Contents of article
01 - Introduction
In today’s digital-first world, email remains the backbone of business communication. Every email sent is an ambassador carrying a company’s image to its recipients. And at the heart of this image lies a humble yet powerful tool: the email signature.
In this guide, you’ll learn about:
The limitations of staying on-premises
The advantages of cloud-based solutions in general
The benefits of migrating from on-premises email signature software to a cloud-based platform
Why cloud-based email signature management gives you a strategic advantage
The various facets of email signatures and their role in business communications
By the end, you’ll understand why today’s businesses must use cloud-based email signature management solutions.
02 - The state of cloud adoption
The cloud is a pivotal component of modern business infrastructure. A staggering 94% of enterprises now utilize cloud services, with the average business employing as many as 1,295 distinct cloud services in their operations.
This surge in adoption is transforming enterprise infrastructure at its core. There’s been a huge shift in Microsoft customers moving from their on-premises Exchange product, to Microsoft 365 over the last few years. The use of Microsoft’s 365 cloud product increased from 57% in 2020 to 84% in 2023. (Statista)
But what’s driving this wide-scale shift? The answer lies in all the benefits cloud computing brings to the table. From small businesses to global enterprises, organizations across the spectrum are experiencing first hand the advantages of transitioning to the cloud.
Which of the following are the most important IT outcomes your organization expects/has experienced as a result of migrating to cloud?
Which of the following are the most important business outcomes your organization expects/has experienced as a result of migrating to cloud?
Forrester, ‘State Of Public Cloud Migration, 2022’
03 - The continued dominance of email and the importance of email signatures
There are more ways than ever before for businesses to communicate with customers. Despite this, email reigns supreme as the main business communication channel.
It’s easy to see why: it’s used worldwide, offers a clear audit trail, and is virtually free. Moreover, emails aren’t restricted by character count, enabling detailed communication and easy file sharing, essential aspects of business communication.
Presenting a professional and consistent brand image is crucial in all aspects of business, and email communication is no exception. Each email your organization sends is a reflection of your brand, so it’s crucial that this impression is a positive one.
Just as your logo, website, and marketing materials are thoughtfully designed, so too should your email signature. A professional email signature serves as a digital business card, providing recipients with important contact information while reinforcing your company’s brand identity.
Therefore, email signature management is an essential component of any organization’s branding strategy.
Proper management ensures:
Every employee’s signature is uniform across the organization.
A consistent, professional appearance on every email, enhancing your credibility, promoting your brand, and opening up new marketing opportunities.
Legal disclaimers are included on every corporate email, aiding in compliance efforts.
Throughout this guide, we’ll explore these benefits in detail, helping you understand why cloud-based email signature management is not just a trend, but a strategic move forward.
04 - Email signature management: Why you can't stay on-premises forever
On-premises email signature management refers to controlling email signatures using software installed on your company’s physical servers. This approach has certain limitations that can disrupt business efficiency and growth.
One of the most significant challenges of on-premises solutions, is the fact that they require on-going maintenance, manual system updates, and continuous monitoring.
This consumes valuable IT resources that would be better allocated to strategic initiatives and increasing organizational efficiency. There’s also the fact that IT has to manually deploy any software updates, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors.
On-premises solutions also provide limited flexibility and scalability. As your business grows and evolves, on-premises systems often need substantial infrastructure investments to accommodate increased user numbers and changing business needs.
In addition, with the tech industry’s shift towards cloud computing, support for on-premises software is falling. For instance, Microsoft announced the end of support for Microsoft Exchange 2013 in April 2023, one of the most commonly used on-premises email servers. Support for Exchange 2019 will end in October 2025, when Microsoft will no longer support on-premises environments.
So, the future is in the cloud. Technological advancements and the increasing demands of business mean on-premises solutions will become obsolete. The same is true for on-premises email signature software. Therefore, shifting towards cloud-based email signature management is more than an upgrade it’s a vital step towards future-proofing your organization’s communication strategies.
05 - The power of cloud-based email signature management
Cloud-based email signature management solutions centralize and automate email signature management across an organization. This comes with several compelling benefits, simplifying email signature management and making it more effective:
Cloud-based email signature management offers centralized control from anywhere rather than through software installed on one physical device. This accessibility allows non-IT staff members to own the email signature management process. For example, all email signature designs can be controlled by the marketing department without them needing to access important IT infrastructure.
A cloud-based email signature solution also offers increased scalability and flexibility. Whether you’re adding new users, rebranding, or expanding into new locations, your email signatures will adapt swiftly to accommodate these changes.
You eliminate the need for physical infrastructure. This instantly means lower costs as you don’t need to acquire physical hardware, install it, or maintain it. This also enhances security by eliminating a single point of failure, while adhering to the latest security standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2, something on-premises software doesn’t do.
When choosing a cloud-based email signature management solution, Exclaimer stands head and shoulders above the competition. With its robust feature set, easy-to-use interface, and a secure, reliable, and highly available service, Exclaimer takes the hassle out of managing email signatures, freeing your organization to focus on what it does best.
Benefits: Unleashing collaboration and customization
Transitioning from on-premises email signature software to a cloud-based solution breaks down silos to boost collaboration and customization.
Let your teams simultaneously access, create, and modify email signatures from a single source of truth.
Design and implement signatures for different user groups and departments, tailoring communications to better align with your corporate branding strategy.
Conduct A/B testing and track the performance of different signature designs to determine which receive the most engagement.
Integrate with other cloud-based tools and applications from CRMs to marketing automation platforms.
Using the cloud means a more efficient and interconnected work environment, transforming email signature management from a standalone task to a seamlessly integrated part of your broader business strategy.
Benefits: Strengthening branding & compliance
Digital impressions matter, so it’s vital to present a consistent brand identity across all email communications. Cloud-based email signature management solutions simplify this process and go further than on-premises software.
Use advanced formatting options and dynamic fields to reflect the sender’s role, location, and contact details, while still adhering to the overall branding.
Include marketing elements like rotating banners, instant feedback surveys, and social media feeds.
Set signatures to include specific disclaimers when sending to certain regions such as one for emails sent to American companies and another for British ones.
Benefits: Increased security
Adopting a cloud-based email signature management platform like Exclaimer enhances your organization’s security. It offers robust measures to protect your data, advanced access controls, and a commitment to maintaining the highest security standards.
Advanced encryption protects your data during transmission and storage, keeping your information confidential and secure from unauthorized access.
Secure Azure datacenters equipped with high-end physical and cybersecurity measures provide the highest levels of cloud security.
Intelligent access controls let you decide who can modify signature templates, adding extra layers of internal protection.
Extensive certifications and attestations for major compliance standards showcase Exclaimer’s commitment to security. These include SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27018, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Benefits: Cost and time efficiency
Here’s how migrating to cloud-based email signature management allows your business to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Traditional on-premises software often requires expensive server hardware and continuous maintenance, tying up valuable IT resources and budget. However, when you adopt cloud-based solutions, external providers like Microsoft manage these on your behalf. This shift liberates your IT department to focus on other strategic tasks and projects.
Moving to the cloud also eliminates many manual processes associated with on-premises email signature software, such as deploying updates. Cloud-based solutions automatically deploy updates, and new features across all users.
This is especially beneficial when your business rebrands, engages in new promotional activities, or rolls out regulatory updates. So you remain dynamic and responsive in an ever-changing business landscape while also saving time and money.Adopting cloud-based email signature management solutions means your business will transition to paying via a subscription-based pricing model. This flexible structure provides greater control over costs.
You can choose a plan that matches your specific needs and scale as those needs change. This is particularly beneficial for growing organizations or those with fluctuating demands.
06 - Cloud-based email signature management: A no-brainer
Leveraging cloud-based technology delivers a host of benefits, from cost and time efficiencies to reduced IT overhead, improved brand consistency, and faster implementation of updates. Put simply, adopting cloud technology transforms business growth.
Transitioning to Exclaimer’s cloud-based solution enables your organization to manage email signatures more effectively in today’s fast-paced, digitally-driven business landscape. It frees up valuable resources, ensures brand consistency, and allows you to stay responsive to changing business needs and regulatory requirements.
Change, as they say, is the only constant. Migrating to the cloud is a transformation that guarantees your organization is equipped to navigate today’s ever-evolving digital landscape. This eBook has laid out the foundation for understanding why this shift is not just beneficial, but essential.
Remember, the present and the future are in the cloud. On-premises solutions are a thing of the past. So, embrace the transition, and let your organization reap the benefits. Get in touch with Exclaimer and let’s begin your journey to the cloud together.
