AGNITAS

AGNITAS is a Munich software company whose product, the EMM, handles email marketing and marketing automation for businesses that send newsletters, triggered campaigns and multi-step customer journeys. The site calls AGNITAS "your German provider for GDPR-compliant emails and marketing automation" and says that at the time of its foundation it was a pioneer in email marketing in Germany, while today its software is used around the world. The company, AGNITAS AG, gives its address as Werner-Eckert-Strasse 6 in Munich, and its hosted service is, in its own words, "securely hosted in our cloud infrastructure located in Germany".

The distinctive part of the offer is the choice of operating model. The same software is available as a hosted service, as a license you run on your own servers, as a private cloud that AGNITAS runs for you, or as a free open-source edition. The pitch throughout is security and data protection paired with personal support from, as the site puts it, qualified and dedicated contact persons.

Building newsletters and campaigns

Newsletters are built in the E-Mail Creator, a drag and drop editor. The site describes the process simply: place your modules by drag and drop and your newsletter is done "in just a few minutes". A Layout Builder lets you create your own modules and templates, and the company offers help with that if you want it. Personalized newsletters are part of the core feature list.

Multi-step automation lives in the Campaign Manager, which uses the same drag and drop approach to build complex, multi-level processes. The examples the site gives are birthday wishes, up-selling campaigns and event invitations. The Campaign Manager reaches its full functionality with the Automation Package, one of several premium packages alongside Retargeting, Layout, Delivery, Analytics and Cross Media packages. The feature summary also lists trigger mails and retargeting, A/B tests with automatic optimization, segmentation of recipients into target groups and mailing lists, and behavior-based send time optimization.

Customer quotes show the range of uses. ACO Severin Ahlmann says EMM has for years been its tool of choice for reaching B2B target groups, from automated multi-level campaigns to event support. N-ERGIE, in the German version of the site, describes using EMM together with the e-abo manager for everything from email campaigns to print mailings and digital event organization.

Channels beyond email

The EMM is multi-channel. Besides email, the product menu lists Web Push and SMS, and the newest addition is RCS for Business, which the site describes as a messaging channel with verified sender profiles, rich multimedia content and interactive messages delivered straight to the native messaging app on a smartphone. Further modules include a Content Hub, multi-client management, and the e-abo manager for subscriptions, with features for smart ticketing and course management.

Reporting

The statistics cover response metrics for a mailing over time, relative and absolute values, heat maps, comparisons of mailings with each other, and benchmark statistics for your industry. Real-time statistics are part of the core feature set, and the Analytics Package adds more.

Integration, SMTP and sending infrastructure

For connecting other systems, AGNITAS says its software supports the integration platforms Make and N8N, so marketing processes can be automated across applications "without interface complications"; the German page adds that this includes local AI methods. The interfaces section also covers an intelligent SMTP interface in EMM and the integration of third-party systems, and the feature list promises that you can connect any system through versatile interfaces. Central administration of users, rights and roles is included.

On delivery, the site claims "highest deliverability & encrypted mail delivery". AGNITAS offers dedicated mail servers, lists CSA whitelisting among its data protection and security points, and has sections on whitelisting and delivery, on a verified sender program and on Green Mail, its contribution to climate protection. Mailings can be signed with S/MIME, which the company pitches as a way to show that your sender address is genuine. Registration forms and landing pages are described as legally compliant.

Security and data protection

Security is the company's strongest claim. It says it is certified to ISO 27001 for IT security, ISO 27017 for cloud security and ISO 27018 for cloud data protection, "ensuring verified information security for maximum confidentiality, availability, and integrity of your data". The data protection summary reads "Made & hosted in Germany", "GDPR-compliant", "ISO-certified" and "CSA-Whitelisting". For a sender that has to justify its choice of processor to a data protection officer, those are the statements to start from.

Operating models and pricing

AGNITAS offers marketing automation in four variants, and the site sets them out clearly:

• SaaS, a cloud solution for a monthly fee, where AGNITAS provides and operates the software and IT infrastructure.
• Inhouse, a software license bought once. You buy a license unlimited in time and operate it yourself. The site stresses that as an on-premise solution you keep full control over your data and marketing processes "with no variable operating costs".
• Private Cloud, an exclusive cloud solution for a monthly fee. You buy a license unlimited in time and AGNITAS operates it for you.
• Open Source, free. OpenEMM is, in the site's words, email marketing "at zero cost": download it, install it on a Linux server and get started.

The site publishes no prices for the commercial variants; it explains that because everyone has different requirements, there are different operating models, and it invites visitors to get a consultation. The German site also offers the platform to companies that want to sell marketing automation and email services under their own name, without depending on a third-party platform.

Customers and support

The customer quotes on the home page come from DEVK, Freenet, CP Bankpartner, ACO, MYBESTBRANDS and Eddie Bauer, plus N-ERGIE on the German version. DEVK's email marketing specialist calls the EMM reliable, legally compliant and user-friendly, and says AGNITAS's flexible and fast support makes short-term adjustments possible. Freenet says the support team is there quickly and reliably when it has questions. CP Bankpartner chose EMM Inhouse for its sensitive customer data and B2B mailing, MYBESTBRANDS praises the first-class support, and Eddie Bauer says it has worked with AGNITAS for more than 12 years. The industries section lists public bodies and NGOs, eCommerce, health care, publishers and media, banks and insurers, and utilities. Beyond the software, the company offers consulting, individual development, tutorials and a download center with product factsheets and templates.

Who it suits

AGNITAS suits mid-sized and large organizations, particularly in Germany, that want automation, multi-channel sending and strong statements on security and hosting location. Companies whose data protection rules rule out a shared cloud get an on-premise license or a private cloud. B2B marketers running multi-level campaigns and events, retailers sending personalized newsletters, and agencies that want a platform to offer under their own name all appear in the site's material. Technical teams on a tight budget can start with OpenEMM at no license cost on their own Linux server.

The caveat is that this is a consultative purchase. There is no self-serve price list for the commercial editions, so a small business wanting to sign up and send the same afternoon will find the process heavier than on a simple newsletter tool.