Allow Lists and Email Delivery (Technical information)

Summary

Email is a critical component of the Raftr system. Raftr follows best practices when attempting to deliver emails to a customer’s user community, and we request a partnership with each customer’s IT department to facilitate successful email delivery. In addition, when using integrations or automated content creation from Raftr, we need to ensure that Raftr hosts are allowed access to internal resources.

Email Overview

As part of enabling Raftr services for individual users, the Raftr system requires email authentication, as well as support for regular messages via email, specifically: 

• Initial Authentication: All users are required to authenticate and verify the email address provided at registration by clicking on a unique validation link in the email. These emails normally originate from no-reply@raftr.com and represent a mandatory step in the account registration process.

• IP/domain (un)blocking: Authentication emails are sent via Sendgrid (a popular communication platform for managing email delivery) and originate from one of these IP addresses 149.72.222.166 or 149.72.230.197  If possible, we would recommend that customers coordinate with their IT departments (and/or outsourced email providers) to make sure these IP addresses, in addition to the @raftr.com domain, and @digest.raftr.com are not blocked. By using an "always allowed" list, this will prevent user verification and other emails from getting rejected or flagged as spam.  We often encounter blocked IP and/or email domains as an issue with customers who have not modified their email systems to allow raftr emails per above, and this issue can lead to disruptions during rollout if users don’t receive their verification emails.

• Password Reset: If a user needs to reset their password, they will need to receive and open an email from no-reply@raftr.com to click on a unique validation link in the email.
  
  
  
• Ongoing Messaging: Users may receive additional messaging from various raftr.com addresses, in accordance with the customer’s signed Services Agreement, which can include weekly email digests, new features announcements, and promotion / contest announcements, the sum of which is not to exceed three (3) per week. These messages will typically also be sent from the IP addresses referenced above.

Raftr Email Authentication

Emails representing Raftr are delivered via popular email delivery services such as Google (GMail) and SendGrid, in close coordination with Raftr customers.

In order to ensure timely and accurate delivery of these emails, Raftr utilizes email verification mechanisms such as SPF and DKIM, either directly validating the raftr.com domain(s), or validating our email delivery partners. Properly configured email delivery systems which honor these mechanisms should deliver Raftr email to the intended recipients without issues.

Raftr Email Delivery Monitoring and Remediation

In addition to properly configured authentication mechanisms, Raftr requests that the customer’s IT team monitor raftr.com email for non-delivery, and notify Raftr immediately if customer IT systems are flagging raftr.com emails as problematic. In addition, some customer email delivery systems may need to include allowing delivery from the @raftr.com domain (and all subdomains) in specific “approved” lists or configurations to ensure customer email delivery systems allow email delivery from raftr.com

Raftr monitors outbound email delivery statistics, and may need to contact the IT team if Raftr notices a delivery problem with a specific customer.  Please advise Raftr of the proper contact information and IT process to log, research, and resolve email delivery issues should they arise.

Additional Integration Access

Most integrations with Raftr will include some level of system integration. Many integrations simply need access to websites that may already be public, other deeper integrations may require access to IT systems and resources. All queries from the Raftr system will come from the following IP address: 50.18.246.41. This IP represents Raftr NAT gateway that is currently in use for connections from Raftr to client hosts, and any network configuration should allow inbound connections from this IP address to the necessary hosts in your infrastructure. All requests are done via HTTP/HTTPS (Port 80/443)

Normal Application API Access

In addition, all users / client hardware will need unrestricted access to the Raftr cloud environment for proper Raftr service delivery. The IP address associated with Raftr services is: 52.8.243.15. Network configurations should allow connections from local devices to this Raftr host. All requests are done via HTTP/HTTPS (Port 80/443)

References (Email)

• Office 365 Safe Sender list management 
  • Link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/create-safe-sender-lists-in-office-365?view=o365-worldwide
  • Note that important raftr.com email will originate from the IP addresses listed above, and all raftr.com email supports proper SPF and DKIM message authentication.