Microsoft Outlook Signature Management Tools
Hundreds of paid and free tools exist to set up Microsoft Outlook Signatures on the World Wide Web.
The tools provide a range of features and come at different price points. Ultimately, the goal of any Outlook Signature Tool is to set an Outlook Signature for ‘New’ messages and ‘Reply’ messages.
The section below discusses some of the different approaches software vendors offer.
A Cloud application that will enable organizations to create templates that can be assigned to Users from within a portal. An agent gets installed on the Windows device that will prompt the User to log in and draw down the assigned template from the Cloud application.
If you run an organization that changes email signatures 2 or 3 times a month, such a solution might add value to your business.
Depending on the quantity purchased and the features included, these Cloud applications can cost between 60 cents and 2 dollars per month (US).
However, if Outlook signature-based marketing is not your core business, Cloud-based software solutions might not be the right choice for the following reasons.
- If you pay 60 cents per month per user and run a 6000-seat environment, your organization will pay 3600 USD per month or 43200 USD per year.
- If changing Outlook signatures 2–3 times a month for marketing purposes is not your core business, you will pay for services not actively used — a.k.a. wasted money.
- Cloud-based services require cloud-based infrastructure, which will have monthly financial overheads.
- Cloud-based services require robust Cloud security guardrails. Imagine images and templates being manipulated centrally within the Cloud App and propagating to the User’s devices.
Cloud-based software might be the right choice for the following reasons.
- Money is not an issue, and you would like an independent solution for Outlook Signatures.
- Outlook Signature-based marketing is a core business; thus, Outlook Signatures change thrice a month.
- To deploy Outlook Signatures using other methods, you need software deployment tools like Microsoft Intune or SCCM, but your Organization does not have these tools.
- A cloud-based, self-operated portal is preferred because you need a dedicated IT management team.
Deploy Outlook Signature using Microsoft Intune, saving monthly license costs and maximizing delivery using deployment tools like SCCM or Microsoft Intune.
There are a few ways to use software deployment tools like Microsoft Intune to deploy Outlook signatures.
Script-based:
For years, organizations have been using PowerShell VBScript as a login script to build Outlook Signatures in HTML, RTF, and Text file formats. One such approach can be found here.
You can extrapolate from that script and create similar scripts to draw down User attributes from Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) and deploy that script via Microsoft Intune, SCCM, or other software deployment tools.
As an application:
Centrally deploy Outlook Signatures like a Windows application using Microsoft Intune or SCCM. Use the Personalization Packager to create zero-touch silent installers that contain Outlook Signatures that can be deployed via Microsoft Intune or SCCM.
The personalization packages created by the Packager can include desktop backgrounds, Outlook signatures, lock screen images, and video screensavers.
The Packager uses a different approach. It takes a more traditional approach to setting signatures but implements a modern delivery method using Microsoft Intune or SCCM Cloud Management Gateway.
But nothing good in the lovely world is free. The packager comes at a cost. It is a lot less expensive than the Cloud-based option but not free.
The Packaging tool allows you to create unlimited personalization packages, but you must buy a license for every device that receives and installs them.
Organizations will spend 1 US$ per device per year. For just 1 US$ per year, you can install up to 5 personalization packages per device, each with its Outlook Signature Template. You can use the Campaign Manager tool to decide which personalization package will run and when.
Advantages:
- More cost-effective. 1 US Dollar Per Year (nothing gets cheaper than this)
- Deploy using software deployment tools like Microsoft Intune or SCCM.
- Deploy 5 different templates on each device.
- You don’t need any more infrastructure.
- Ready to deploy. Silently install personalization packages.
- You can deploy desktop backgrounds, lock screen images, Outlook signatures, and video screensavers for 1 US dollar annually.
Step-by-step instructions are documented here.
