Summary
Microsoft is retiring an older method of sending email (called "Basic Authentication") through Office 365. From the end of December 2026, this method will no longer work by default.
If any of the systems we host for you use this method to send email such as your Timesheet Portal, Candidate Portal, registration pages, inbound SMS replies, automated alerts and reminders, or compliance notifications; they will need to move to a different setup before then.
đ Note: If you don't use email sending via Microsoft, you can disregard this notice.
What's Happening
"Basic Authentication" is the setting that allows a system to send email on your behalf using just a username and password. Microsoft is phasing this out for Office 365 / Exchange Online.
From the end of December 2026, systems relying on this method won't be able to send email through Office 365 unless they switch to an alternative setup.
For more detail directly from Microsoft, see their official announcement.
Your Options
Option 1: Move to a Dedicated Email-Sending Service (Preferred)
Many organisations are switching to a specialist email-sending provider built specifically for this purpose â for example SendGrid, SMTP2GO, or similar services.
There are many providers available, and the choice is entirely yours. We can't recommend one provider over another â please choose whichever best suits your business and budget.
Option 2: Keep Using Office 365, With an Adjusted Setup
At this stage, we can't confirm whether Microsoft will continue to support this as a workable option going forward. If your IT team can configure an adjusted setup that works, and provide us with the working details, we're happy to use them.
What We'll Need From You
Whichever option you choose, please send us the following details. Your IT provider or the team managing your new email service will be able to provide these:
Detail | Description |
Server address | The address of the mail server we need to send through (sometimes called the "SMTP host"). |
Port | The port number the server uses (e.g. 587). |
Username | The login name for the email account. |
Password | The password for that account â please don't send this by email; we'll agree a secure way to share it with you. |
â ď¸ Important: Please test these settings before sending them to us. Your IT team will be able to help with this. Testing in advance helps us confirm everything is correct and allows us to switch your systems over without delay or unnecessary downtime.
If Any Systems Are Hosted On Your Own Servers
If any of the affected systems are hosted on your own premises or servers (rather than by us), we may need remote access or some help from your IT team to update the settings there.
Please let us know if this applies to you, so we can plan accordingly.
How to Contact Us
If you have questions, need help deciding between the two options above, or are ready to share your new details with us, please get in touch via your normal support channel:
ARCRM customers: How to contact the Access Recruitment CRM support team
RDB customers: Contact RDB support via the myAccess portal
We're happy to talk through what this means for your specific setup and support you through the change.