IIJ to Launch Email Outsourcing Service, "IIJ xSP Platform Service/Mail," to Support Large Accounts

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TOKYO-August 1, 2018-Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ, NASDAQ: IIJI, TSE1: 3774), one of Japan's leading Internet access and comprehensive network solutions providers, today announced the December 2018 release of IIJ xSP Platform Service/Mail, an email system outsourcing service for ISPs, CATV operators, and other large service providers that offer email services to consumers.

In recent years, consumer communication tools have shifted from email to online chat, instant messaging and other messaging services, while the number of engineers dedicated to operating email systems is declining. At the same time, because email accounts are often used as personal IDs on EC sites, SNS applications, and other services, email services must continue to be maintained. For large service providers, the shortage of email engineers and the operational load of such services are becoming serious issues.

IIJ developed IIJ xSP Platform Service/Mail as a service to resolve such issues by providing a cloud-based platform for consumer-oriented email systems, with services from building the platform to operating it. Users of IIJ's service are service providers with large user bases, and they can outsource all email system operations, without having to build or own their own equipment, allowing them to reduce workloads and optimize costs. IIJ offers an extremely reliable email system that provides highly available and complete security functions, and a system configuration that allows for a large number of accounts, on the scale of several million.

The service has the following primary features:

The optimal email system for large service providers

IIJ offers a system platform that can accommodate email operations for anywhere from millions to tens of millions of accounts. Users can flexibly customize the service to meet their needs, including support for unique ID authentication and emulation of existing system user interfaces. This allows service providers to create systems that suit their own service specifications. Furthermore, the available migration tools and support systems used in transferring existing email systems allow for a seamless transition.

Standard support for disaster recovery (DR) using system redundancy

IIJ has redundant data centers in eastern and western Japan, and its service equipment ensures business continuity through DR measures that large service providers, who demand a high degree of availability, require. Additionally, IIJ's specialized engineers, with advanced skill, provide high-quality service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Asset-less workload mitigation with optimized costs

Because the service is cloud-based, users can subscribe to only the portions they need, without having to own any equipment. By outsourcing email system operations, which requires a certain degree of specialization, users can dramatically reduce their operational loads. User fees are calculated according to the number of managed accounts, and because user fee structures account for active and non-active users (with non-active users costing less than actives ones), users can optimize their costs.

This service uses Synacor's Zimbra software as the base for its webmail and mailbox functions. IIJ plans to expand its lineup of available software.

IIJ xSP Platform Service/Mail Features

Feature	Description
Large-capacity, multi-function mailboxes	Supports IMAP and webmail. Allows for detailed configurations, including settings for forwarding, reception permission and rejection, and conditional forwarding.
Virus/spam countermeasures	Offers a virus scan and spam email filters. Allows for email isolation based on spam email filter outcomes.
Sender domain authentication and identifying spoofing or phishing emails	Supports SPF, DKIM verification, DKIM signatures, and DMARC. Allows for email isolation based on the identification of spoofing or phishing emails.
ID authentication conversion	Allows users who have local part authentication or their own authentication IDs to transition to the new service, without having to change existing authenticated IDs.
Service provision using unique server names	Because the service uses existing SMTP/POP/IMAP server names as they are, users do not need to change user-side email client software settings.
24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year support	Provides 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year monitoring and fault support.
Standard support for DR	IIJ's equipment in its data centers in eastern and western Japan allows for continual service provision, even in case of emergency.
A complete lineup of operational support tools	Allows users to review detailed configuration settings for each account and to monitor email transmissions and POP/IMAP/webmail usage.
Countermeasures that prevent unauthorized use of the email system	Allows for constraints on overseas connections and large volume transmissions, and reduces the risk of being registered on blacklists. Allows for each account to be configured to allow or deny the use of overseas SMTP/POP/IMAP connections.

IIJ xSP Platform Service/Mail User Fees

IIJ provides individual estimates for initial and monthly fees, based on the number of accounts, email capacity, and other factors.

IIJ will continue to provide its service provider clients with the highest quality services to support their business infrastructure.

The statements within this release contain forward-looking statements about our future plans that involve risk and uncertainty. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents furnished by Internet Initiative Japan Inc. with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Forms 20-F and 6-K, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

For inquiries, contact

IIJ Corporate Communications

• +81-3-5205-6310
• +81-3-5205-6377
• press@iij.ad.jp