Enable Email Relay in Salesforce

This article answers the question: why would you enable Email Relay in Salesforce, and how do you request the feature and set it up? Use the sections below to understand the benefits, request the feature from Salesforce Support, and find further setup guidance.

Why Enable Email Relay?

• Route all emails through your own email servers to avoid the appearance of "email spoofing" forgeries.
• Store copies of all emails as required by government regulations in various industries.
• Apply existing content filters to scan messages for data and content not approved for company email.
• Run outbound email through antivirus software before sending it to customers.
• Automatically add data, such as company-wide disclaimers, at the bottom of email messages.

Notes on Email Relay Behavior

• You can set up email relaying for Salesforce-generated email by configuring Salesforce to automatically route email through your company's SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server.
• Salesforce supports SMTP Outgoing Email Authentication, but the relay server must advertise the PLAIN SMTP authentication protocol.
• If Email Relay Activation isn't visible in the Setup menu, you can request feature enablement from Salesforce Support.
• When Email Relay is enabled, all emails sent using Send Email, or triggered through processes like Apex, Workflow, or Process Builder, go through the email relay server. System emails such as password resets and verification codes are sent from Salesforce's MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) and do not pass through the email relay server.

How to Request the Email Relay Feature

1. Have a system administrator create a case with Salesforce Customer Support.
2. In the case details, include:
   • The organization ID for which you want the feature enabled. See Find Your Salesforce Organization ID.
   • The text: "Allow Email Relay Enablement."
   • A business case explaining why you need the feature activated.

Learn More Before You Activate Email Relay

• Learn more before you activate Email Relay on your Exchange server in Salesforce.com IP Addresses and Domains to Allow.
• Set Up an Email Domain Filter
• We also recommend reviewing Considerations for Setting Up Email Relay.
• For an overview of best practices for setting up Email Relay, review Email Relay Best Practices.
• Salesforce only supports AUTH PLAIN configuration. For more information, review Setting Up Email Relay.
• Application Locations From Which Emails Can Be Sent