When Scan-to-Email Stops Working, What Comes Next?

Scan-to-email has been the quiet backbone of office workflows for years. It’s simple,

familiar, and predictable. But Microsoft is retiring the legacy SMTP Authentication that many

copiers still rely on; when that change hits your tenant, devices using the old

method will stop sending emails altogether.

There will be no alerts and no warnings… just employees wondering why scanned documents never arrive.

This shift may feel like an unwelcome disruption, but it’s actually a valuable opportunity to step back and improve how scanned information is shared, secured, and managed. Taking a closer look now (ideally with guidance from a team that understands your environment) helps prevent surprises later and creates space for smarter, more secure document workflows.

Let’s Talk Scan-to-Email Workflows

What’s Changing and Why

In the spring of 2026, Microsoft will tighten security standards across the board. SMTP Authentication is outdated, vulnerable, and long past its prime. Retiring it improves security— but at the same time, it disrupts older scan-to-email configurations that depend on basic authentication.

If your current setup relies on that method, it is at risk.

Get Ahead of the Change

Scan-to-Email is Familiar… But is it Still the Best Option?

Scanning directly to an inbox feels convenient, yet it often creates hidden challenges:

• Messages end up trapped in personal inboxes
• Documents are harder to share securely
• Teams add extra manual steps to keep information moving

Those patterns quietly create a bottleneck that drains time, energy, and storage.

With this Microsoft change approaching, many organizations are asking a simple question: Is there a better, more secure, more streamlined way to handle scanned documents?

The answer is yes!

A Chance to Improve, Not Just Repair

Rather than patching an aging workflow, this moment can be used to modernize in ways that align with how work really happens. Here at Coordinated Business Systems, we focus on thoughtful, people-centered solutions that help teams work smarter while reducing waste and frustration.

That process includes:

• Identifying which devices and workflows are impacted
• Reviewing options such as direct send, relay configurations, cloud connectors, or document routing platforms
• Designing cleaner document flows that reduce reliance on personal inboxes

It’s not just about avoiding disruption. It’s about building a dependable approach rooted in listening to how your teams work and supporting them with real people who show up when you need them.

If You Ignore It

At some point, scan to email may simply stop working. Frustration will grow, support requests will begin to pile up, and teams will quickly realize how much they depended on a workflow they rarely thought about before.

Getting ahead of the change is the easiest path.

Let’s Review Your Scan Workflow

If you are unsure whether your environment is affected, or if you want to explore more efficient options, schedule a Scan Workflow Review with us! You’ll speak directly with someone who listens, understands your goals, and helps guide you to a secure, dependable solution designed around how your team works.

We evaluate your setup, explain your options clearly, and help you build a workflow that supports secure, efficient information movement without unnecessary complexity.

Schedule Your Scan Workflow Review

Windows Release Notes