Change of policy in ExchangeDefender non-deliveries | ExchangeDefender                [ Skip to content ](#main)  [ ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/xd_logo_blue.png) ](/)   Email Security     ![Platform Overview](/assets/images/m-xd-pro.png)### ExchangeDefender PRO

Enterprise-grade email security made simple for every business.

 [Sign Up](/sign-up) [Live Demo](/demo) 

 [Email Security

Stops spam, malware &amp; phishing in real time.

 ](/email-security) [Encryption

Secure your emails, attachments &amp; sensitive data.

 ](/corporate-email-encryption) [Web File Sharing

Easy, safe cloud file sharing with access control.

 ](/web-file-server) [Live Archive

Locked-in email backup &amp; continuity during outages.

 ](/livearchive-backup) [Emergency Inbox

Keep email flowing without interruption if your provider fails.

 ](/inbox) [Spearphish

Train your team with phishing simulations &amp; risk tracking.

 ](/spearphishing) 

  Managed Email    ### Enterprise-Grade Managed Email

Reliable, secure, and fully managed email operations for modern organizations.

 ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/managed_email_menu.png) 

 [Microsoft365/Google Email Management

Expert management and security for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace email.

 ](/managed-email-operations) [AI Advisory

Secure, practical AI consulting &amp; implementation for SMBs.

 ](/management-ai) 

  Company    ### ExchangeDefender: 29+ Years of Trust

We are a cybersecurity company focused on business email protection, with 29+ years of experience keeping organizations secure, connected, and resilient.

 ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/careers_1.png) 

 [ About Us

Learn our purpose, values, and the mission behind every decision.

 ](/about-us) [ Blog

News, product updates and email security insights.

 ](/blog) [ Capabilities

Discover the tech and expertise that keep your email secure around the clock

 ](/capabilities) [ Careers

Be part of a team using modern tech to solve real threats and ship great work.

 ](/careers) 

 [Partners](/partners) [Docs](/docs) [Contact Us](/contact)  Talk to a Human 

  Open menu     

 Menu
----

   Email Security     [Email Security](/email-security) [Encryption](/corporate-email-encryption) [Web File Sharing](/web-file-server) [Live Archive](/livearchive-backup) [Inbox](/inbox) [Spearphish](/spearphishing) 

    Managed Email     [Microsoft365/Google Email Management](/managed-email-operations) [AI Advisory](/management-ai) 

    Company     [About Us](/about-us) [Blog](/blog) [Capabilities](/capabilities) [Careers](/careers) 

  [Partners](/partners) [Docs](/docs) [Contact Us](/contact) Talk to a Human 

   February 16, 2008 · [ExchangeDefender](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=exchangedefender)

Change of policy in ExchangeDefender non-deliveries
===================================================

As mentioned previously, we are starting to tighten up the network backend before the UI overhaul of ExchangeDefender 4.0 takes place. In preparing for it we are trying to adjust our network to help reduce load as well as improve the quality of service and transparency.

**First the problem:** Message sent to user XYZ was not received, can you please check?

There are three possible outcomes to the question above:

1\. Almost always the message was delivered properly but the remote users server either discarded it as SPAM or the user outright deleted it and just did not want to fess up to it. We have invested thousands of man hours with our partners where the message from customer A went to customer B and can be backed up with transaction logs of the sending server, ExchangeDefender and recipients mail server. It made it to the mailbox. Then it disappeared. That we can't do much about but with LiveArchive we have made it possible for our own customers to retrieve those *mysteriously undeliverable* items.

2\. The message was delivered but discarded at some point in the process (ExchangeDefender, third party mailer, broken DNS, etc)

3\. Something that we aim to fix: Message was delivered to ExchangeDefender but did not get delivered to the remote server because the remote server uses greylisting, callbacks, long delays, internal content blacklists, guy in the basement writing SpamAssassin rules.

**The Solution:** Less time in the queue, faster alerts to the user that there is a problem.

Our current settings will retry to deliver the outgoing message for up to five days. Error reports are sent within 24 hours. That is clearly too long as the users complain of issues within hours of sending the email. We will be generating errors sooner than later to help the IT staff and IT Solution Provider explain to the customer that the issue is on the remote recipients server, not on their own or ExchangeDefender which will help with the endless troubleshooting requests over the proven infrastructure just to find out that the recipients server has a poorly configured mail server.

This change in policy will only affect outbound mail, inbound mail will remain the same.

> Going forward we will be issuing non-delivery alerts within 3 hours. We will return the message to the sender if the message is not delivered within 24 hours. Based upon the advice of our IT Solution partners and our internal testing, we have concluded that this is an adequate amount of time to attempt to deliver the message and if the delivery fails this gives the sender an option of contacting the recipient through other means until their mail problems have been solved.

ExchangeDefender 4.0 will feature full access to the ExchangeDefender transaction logs both inbound and outbound but in the meantime we felt it was important to introduce this change due to the growing number of hosts that are without protection and just unable to properly handle the amount of inbound mail sent to them. Each undeliverable and unreported issue with the remote server unfortunately increases the cost of support and reduces the satisfaction with the mail delivery because users tend to start blaming their own IT staff first. We hope these errors help the users see where the issue is sooner than later so they can continue to communicate with the remote party through other means.

  [  Previous post New policy on ExchangeDefender activations and billing February 11, 2008  ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2008/02/new-policy-on-exchangedefender-activations-and-billing) [  Next post Enhanced SPAM filtering engine now online February 24, 2008  ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2008/02/enhanced-spam-filtering-engine-now-online)  Related Posts
-------------

  [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2026/04/xd10.png)  2 Apr  ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10)###  [Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10) 

 [Read more: Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10) 

   [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2025/09/Top-7-IT-Solutions-Every-Small-Business-Needs-in-2025.jpg)  30 Sep  ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025)###  [Top 7 IT Solutions Every Small Business Needs in 2025](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025) 

 [Read more: Top 7 IT Solutions Every Small Business Needs in 2025](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/top-7-it-solutions-every-small-business-needs-in-2025) 

   [ ![](https://storage.services.exchangedefender.network/exchangedefender-blog/blog/2025/09/Website-Active-Image-10.jpg)  23 Sep  ](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes)###  [ExchangeDefender Rolls Out Advanced 'Reject Policies' for Safer Inboxes](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes) 

 [Read more: ExchangeDefender Rolls Out Advanced 'Reject Policies' for Safer Inboxes](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/09/exchangedefender-rolls-out-advanced-reject-policies-for-safer-inboxes) 

   Search the blog   Search     Recent Posts
------------

- [ExchangeDefender New UI is Live](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/05/exchangedefender-new-ui-is-live)
- [Announcing ExchangeDefender 10](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2026/04/announcing-exchangedefender-10)
- [Merry Christmas](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/12/merry-christmas)
- [Why IoT Devices Are a Hidden Security Risk for Your Business](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/11/why-iot-devices-are-a-hidden-security-risk-for-your-business)
- [Top 5 IT Problems Small Businesses Face in 2025 — and How to Fix Them](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog/2025/10/top-5-it-problems-small-businesses-face-in-2025-and-how-to-fix-them)

Categories
----------

- [Archiving](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=archiving) (21)
- [Business Continuity](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=business-continuity) (13)
- [Compliance](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=compliance) (8)
- [ExchangeDefender](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=exchangedefender) (349)
- [General](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=uncategorized) (590)
- [Hosted Services](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=hosted-services) (86)
- [Industry News](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=industrynews) (29)
- [Marketing](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=marketing) (18)
- [Phishing](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=phishing) (5)
- [PRO TIPS](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=pro-tips) (44)
- [Product Features](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=product-features) (54)
- [Security](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=security) (65)
- [Shockey Monkey](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=shockey-monkey) (22)
- [Spamfilter](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=spamfilter) (5)
- [Support](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=support) (45)
- [Webinars](https://www-preview.exchangedefender.com/blog?category=webinars) (44)

  Solutions
---------

- [Stop Spam &amp; Malware](/email-security)
- [Hands-Free Email Backup](/livearchive-backup)
- [Instant Email Recovery](/inbox)
- [Send Private Emails](/corporate-email-encryption)
- [Train Against Email Threats](/spearphishing)
- [Share Files Safely](/web-file-server)

Company
-------

- [About ExchangeDefender](/about-us)
- [Compliance &amp; Legal](/our-compliance)
- [Become a Partner](/partners)
- [Support Portal Login](https://support.exchangedefender.com/)
- [Microsoft 365 Email Management](/managed-email-operations)
- [AI Advisory Service](/management-ai)

 ![ExchangeDefender](/assets/images/dark-xd-logo.png)USA: +1 (407) 465-6800

United Kingdom: 0800 8620149

Australia: +61 0390010641

Fax: +1 (954) 839-8737

 [    ](https://www.facebook.com/ExchangeDefender) [    ](https://www.twitter.com/XD_Defender) [    ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/exchangdefender) [    ](/blog) 

© 2026 Own Web Now Corp - All rights reserved

 &lt;/&gt; with ❤️ in Orlando

 [SLA](/sla) [TOS](/tos) [PRIVACY](/privacy-end-users) [AUP](/aup) 

 We're Here to Help 👋
--------------------

Tired of AI 🤖 and hold music? Request a call or text (sms/telco charges may apply) and someone with a brain and a pulse will get in touch with you promptly.

  Close modal     

      Website   

  Name      Email Address      Company      Phone     

  Preferred Contact Method   Text me    Call me  

   Call Date    Call Time    Time Zone  Eastern Central Mountain Pacific London Paris Madrid Berlin Tokyo Dubai Sydney   

  Request Human Contact Submitting...  

  Close 

 Start Your Free Year
--------------------

Enter your details and we will set up your free year of email protection.

  Close modal     

       Website   

  Full Name      Email     

  Continue Submitting...  

  Close 

 Try ExchangeDefender for Free 💰
-------------------------------

We look forward to helping you secure your email. We offer a free 30-day no-risk trial, just fill out the form below and one of our onboarding techs will get you started. If you'd just like to take a look at the demo, click here for a [live demo site](/demo).

  Close modal     

      Website   

  Name      Email Address      Company      Phone     

  Preferred Contact Method   Text me    Call me  

   Call Date    Call Time    Time Zone  Eastern Central Mountain Pacific London Paris Madrid Berlin Tokyo Dubai Sydney   

  💰 Get your free month Submitting...   🏃 Explore a Live Demo Submitting...  

  Close 

 Train Your Team Before the Hackers Do 👋
---------------------------------------

ExchangeDefender Spearphish is our new phishing simulation and training tool, designed to help your team spot scams before they click. Want to be first in line? Request early access or get a personal demo — just drop your name and email below.

  Close modal     

       Website   

  Name      Email Address      Company      Phone     

  Preferred Contact Method   Text me    Call me  

   Call Date    Call Time    Time Zone  Eastern Central Mountain Pacific London Paris Madrid Berlin Tokyo Dubai Sydney   

  Request Early Access Submitting...  

  Close
