Using Exchange for work email question?

[chriskzoo]

Right now we use Blackberry's at work, but when I get the iPhone 4 I would rather just use that to get my work email if I can. I know my Exchange email address (it's just user@exchange.company.com versus my normal @company.com email address) but I have a couple questions:

1. Does Exchange allow IT depts. to lock down Exchange to approved decives/device IDs?
2. We have to change passwords every month or so, but I never have to do anything on my Blackberry to keep getting email pushed - how does Echange handle that? Would I have to just update my password every time it changes?

Just looking for experience from those who have added their work email from and Exchange server to their personal iPhone.

 

[ECSBOGS]

I use this for my work email. I'm not sure if your IT department can block it, but Exchange does require you to use the passcode feature. And when you change your password, you get a prompt that pops up to update it on the phone. You also have to enter the server (ours is webmail).

 

[viademarco]

My company is small, but just adopted verizon BB's for everyone who needs a work phone. This was fine for me and my 3G though as I just connected to our exchange and got my mail and calendar.

It is all coming to and end though as my work is now switching to a BB mail server and stopping the exchange service that sends the wireless updates. I will no longer be able to get my mail without a BB and its internal phone ID.

You should check with your IT dept. and see if they are switching to a BB server only.

 

[chriskzoo]

I use this for my work email. I'm not sure if your IT department can block it, but Exchange does require you to use the passcode feature. And when you change your password, you get a prompt that pops up to update it on the phone. You also have to enter the server (ours is webmail).

Hmm, is there anyway to confirm the server in Outlook? When I look at my profile info it just shows:

smtp:user@exchange.bscbsm.com (with my info, obviously)

 

[twisted-pixel]

I used to have to enter my password whenever my phone was off for more than a few hours, this used to wind me up so I spoke to our infrastructure dept who changed the security settings on the server so I only needed to enter my password once.

I'm actually hoping that the exchange / email support is better on the new phone. things like opening an attachment, editing and then emailing back. I haven't really looked into the capabilites of OS4, but this would seem like a basic function to me.

 

[lnferno]

To the original poster, your Exchange admin has to make Wireless ActiveSync/Outlook Mobile Access available for your user account on the Exchange system. If that option is turned on for you, then you can create an Exchange account on your iPhone.

The server will likely be the same name as the Outlook Web Access server name. You'll also need to enter your domain name and then username/password.

You can try it right now and see if it works. Let us know.

 

[steviem]

The server you need is your external webmail address.

A couple of things. I setup Activesync on an Exchange Server a couple of years back for the company I was with and from the IT side I can tell you this:

-The Activesync service needs to have ports opened on the router to allow the service out. This is usually a no go for companies already with a Blackberry service. Microsoft tries to say you MUST have ISA server to allow Activesync to work, this isn't true and I ended up using a Cisco PIX that the company already had to achieve it.

-The IT department can enable or disable Activesync on the user level, they can also. In Exchange 2003 they have the ability to Block and Wipe your device. Exchange 2007 may have even better Mobile device management, but I can only speak from experience. The Technical Director and myself had no problem in supporting users with their own iPhones, but we made sure they understood that we had no liability to data costs they may have incurred and they also had to accept that if the relationship ended between us and them the device would need to be wiped.

It can open a whole can of worms, but in the end, you need to talk to whoever looks after the email system and whoever is in charge of that person. If you work for a startup, it's usually the same guy, which is a big plus!

 

[chriskzoo]

I used to have to enter my password whenever my phone was off for more than a few hours, this used to wind me up so I spoke to our infrastructure dept who changed the security settings on the server so I only needed to enter my password once.

I'm actually hoping that the exchange / email support is better on the new phone. things like opening an attachment, editing and then emailing back. I haven't really looked into the capabilites of OS4, but this would seem like a basic function to me.

I wish talking to IT was an option - I work for a large insurer so everything is so locked down it's ridiculous. Then again I can just log into our email website, download attachments to my personal computer, etc. - there is no rhyme or reason to the logic.

 

[tco]

Hmm, is there anyway to confirm the server in Outlook? When I look at my profile info it just shows:

smtp:user@exchange.bscbsm.com (with my info, obviously)

I'd fess up and talk to the IT guys. There are many factors to get exchange to work via activesync. Firewalls and Exchange server configs need to align to get this working

 

[ECSBOGS]

Hmm, is there anyway to confirm the server in Outlook? When I look at my profile info it just shows:

smtp:user@exchange.bscbsm.com (with my info, obviously)

It's probably exchange.bscbsm.com then.

 

[steviem]

I would say that it won't work if they're a large insurer. Any ports or routes will be tightly locked down.

The reason for webmail is simple. The majority of their data is only presented to you in a browser rather than sending the 'real' email data to your device. Although I don't really understand the attachment reasoning!

 

[fuzion]

1) For Direct-Push to work you generally have to have an exchange front end box serving OWA to the internet.. basically webmail. It is possible to have it setup with a single exchange server, however for security purposes you usually don't want the server that has your database on it to also be open to the internet.

2) In the iPhone settings the server would be the server that you use to access OWA [Outlook Web Access]. In my setup we have mail.company.com, but for mobile devices and webmail we point them to our front server which is webmail.company.com.

3) You'll need to know your domain name for the company. It's not always company.com; best way to look is at the login screen on your computer, the last option is "Log on to" followed by the domain name you login to.

As previously stated, outlook mobile access needs to be turned on for your account, a simple way to check is to goto http://yourOWAserver.yourcompany.com/oma

OMA is a basic text email session, if you can get to that you should be able to use the exchange features on the iphone. Note that the mail admins can block your device from communicating as well as initiate a remote wipe.

I have to reboot now because I just installed safari and I no longer have a mouse cursor.

 

[Geckotek]

I wish talking to IT was an option - I work for a large insurer so everything is so locked down it's ridiculous. Then again I can just log into our email website, download attachments to my personal computer, etc. - there is no rhyme or reason to the logic.

Yes, but it is up to us to mitigate the possibilities of data leakage. Downloading a document to your personal PC is one thing. Loosing your phone and having several weeks worth of corporate communications available to whoever might find it is another.

I highly discourage the connecting of personal devices to the corporate network except through Citrix connections. When I do allow personal phones to connect, I require they sign a waiver that legal has approved. This waiver states that since corporate data is on the device, we reserve to right to send a wipe command at any time and we are not responsible for the loss of personal data...pics, email, contacts, etc.

 

[steviem]

1) For Direct-Push to work you generally have to have an exchange front end box serving OWA to the internet.. basically webmail. It is possible to have it setup with a single exchange server, however for security purposes you usually don't want the server that has your database on it to also be open to the internet.

2) In the iPhone settings the server would be the server that you use to access OWA [Outlook Web Access]. In my setup we have mail.company.com, but for mobile devices and webmail we point them to our front server which is webmail.company.com.

3) You'll need to know your domain name for the company. It's not always company.com; best way to look is at the login screen on your computer, the last option is "Log on to" followed by the domain name you login to.

As previously stated, outlook mobile access needs to be turned on for your account, a simple way to check is to goto http://yourOWAserver.yourcompany.com/oma

OMA is a basic text email session, if you can get to that you should be able to use the exchange features on the iphone. Note that the mail admins can block your device from communicating as well as initiate a remote wipe.

I have to reboot now because I just installed safari and I no longer have a mouse cursor.

Remember Mobile Access (Activesync) isn't just working by default. It relys on other factors and other devices to allow it to work. The presence of OWA doesn't always mean that Activesync is enabled.

 

[DjPiLL]

Right now we use Blackberry's at work, but when I get the iPhone 4 I would rather just use that to get my work email if I can. I know my Exchange email address (it's just user@exchange.company.com versus my normal @company.com email address) but I have a couple questions:

1. Does Exchange allow IT depts. to lock down Exchange to approved decives/device IDs?
2. We have to change passwords every month or so, but I never have to do anything on my Blackberry to keep getting email pushed - how does Echange handle that? Would I have to just update my password every time it changes?

Just looking for experience from those who have added their work email from and Exchange server to their personal iPhone.

The blackberry doesn't require the password changes every month because the corporate Blackberry server at your company uses a service level account with elevated privleges to push emails out to blackberries. The password for that service level account doesn't usually expire and only the IT people have access to that.

If you need to change your exchange password every month, you will need to update the phone's password every time as well to reflect the new password you just changed it to.

Its possible that Activesync is enabled in the organization. It isn't disabled by default on a user level and on the server level its very easy to enable. You can use this tool to check to see if activesync works in your company. If you know the settings, you can enter them in here.

https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com/

 

[fuzion]

Remember Mobile Access (Activesync) isn't just working by default. It relys on other factors and other devices to allow it to work. The presence of OWA doesn't always mean that Activesync is enabled.

Correct, but if the person can get to OMA [not OWA] then their account should be mobile access enabled. In it's most basic setup all that is required for Exchange Direct-Push/Activesync to work is a backend server that holds the mail storage and the front end server to sit out on the internet.

 

[fuzion]

The blackberry doesn't require the password changes every month because the corporate Blackberry server at your company uses a service level account with elevated privleges to push emails out to blackberries. The password for that service level account doesn't usually expire and only the IT people have access to that.

If you need to change your exchange password every month, you will need to update the phone's password every time as well to reflect the new password you just changed it to.

Its possible that Activesync is enabled in the organization. It isn't disabled by default on a user level and on the server level its very easy to enable. You can use this tool to check to see if activesync works in your company. If you know the settings, you can enter them in here.

https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com/

Is that an actual Microsoft site? I'd be a bit cautious of putting in my username and password for a place at work at.. helloooo liability + fired!

 

[DjPiLL]

Is that an actual Microsoft site? I'd be a bit cautious of putting in my username and password for a place at work at.. helloooo liability + fired!

Its a known testing tool that has been around for a while. You should probably use a test account. If you are worried about security, just try putting your password in there. Then after you test it, change your password.

 

[Geckotek]

Is that an actual Microsoft site? I'd be a bit cautious of putting in my username and password for a place at work at.. helloooo liability + fired!

Yes, as a former MS PSS Employee, I can vouch for this site.

 

[chriskzoo]

I'd fess up and talk to the IT guys. There are many factors to get exchange to work via activesync. Firewalls and Exchange server configs need to align to get this working

I wish they were willing, but the last time I tried to inquire about something relatively simple (like getting CutePDF to make PDFs for fre versus dinging my cost center over $200 for Adobe) they gave me the runaround.

I'll just see if I can get access to it and if not, maybe it's for the better to keep my work email off the personal phone. I can still access it via the website if needed.

 

[fuzion]

I wish they were willing, but the last time I tried to inquire about something relatively simple (like getting CutePDF to make PDFs for fre versus dinging my cost center over $200 for Adobe) they gave me the runaround.

I'll just see if I can get access to it and if not, maybe it's for the better to keep my work email off the personal phone. I can still access it via the website if needed.

Oh.. Statefarm or AAA?


*bam*!