Best Practice Ezine #101 - Exchange OWA Tips

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Best Practice Ezine #101 - Exchange OWA Tips

Readers Recommendations

This week we have another rich selection of handy utilities, in this issue I feature Sean's recommendations for Exchange in general and OWA (Outlook Web Access) in particular.  I cannot help noticing this paradox, the older the version of OWA that you have, then the more useful these programs will be for your users.

One hidden benefit of the boom in reader's recommendations, is that it has overcome my paranoia about giving links to other sites.  I now realise that there are times when I have to let some of you go to other pages, but I hope it will be au revoir - see you next week and not adieu - gone for ever.

Sean's Recommendations for OWA

• OWANotify
• Sig Weber's Playground
• Exclaimer from Exclaimer.com
• Messageware messageware.com
• Two Tools from Microsoft
• Will and Guy's Humour - Lightning

OWANotify

http://www.envador.com/OWANotify/

OWA Notify resides in the Notification (System Tray).  You get an Outlook mail icon for Outlook Web Access users, which checks their Exchange account for new mail using WebDAV protocol.  At the moment OWANotify V1 is freeware, V2 may cost around $10.  Sean says, 'OWANotify gives that whole full outlook kinda feeling if your only choice is OWA'.

Sig Weber's Playground

Sean has singled out OWA View message Headers, yet there are 24 downloads at this gem of a site. http://www.asaris.de/sites/playground/Downloads/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Sig Weber developed a Java Script modification for OWA that allows you to view the complete message source.   This ACTUALLY gives you access to the SMTP raw message.  You modify the util_view.js file in the most current Controls directory (exchxrvr/exchweb/somenumber/controls).

Exclaimer from www.Exclaimer.com

With Exclaimer you can add disclaimers and signatures, brand your email with your corporate identity, stop unwanted or spam email, set up auto-replies and out-of-office responses, block email between selected groups of users and monitor and archive email. All of this is done by the server so there is nothing to configure on your client machines.

Here is an Add-on product that is essentially a GUI for SMTP Event sink creation. Really spectacular setup with integrated logging an performance information. It does come at a slight performance hit (but all event sinks do).

Messageware www.messageware.com

Messageware have something for every  OWA (Outlook Web Access) user.  Their stable of programs include :

The PlusPack product is simply a must have for OWA users. This provides Outlook Style email addressing for OWA users, as well as customizable dictionaries. A must for hosted OWA.

Active Send: Integrates OWA with the computer desktop so users can conveniently send documents at any time while working within any application and use email hyperlinks in documents, websites, and email.

Exchange Server 2007 is a complex topic, do you need practical hands on training?  As an MCT trainer, I can thoroughly recommend TrainSignal.  In particular, I like the way that TrainSignal cover all learning methods, instructor lead, video and of course text material.  You can either take one module, for example Exchange 2007 or go for a combination of modules.  Learn more about Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 here

Two Tools from Microsoft

Before I describe Sean's last two utilities, a reminder of my friend 'Barking' Eddie's first question about any tool: 'Where does it come from?  Microsoft CD, resource kit third party?'  The answer in these two cases is: Microsoft's site.

Exchange Quota management services
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=EB52F6AB-E07A-476C-B32B-145AF6EA970C&displaylang=en

An Add-on from Microsoft, which allows you to create message templates for customizing the default quota limit/violation messages of exchange.  This tool enables quotas limits to be set without modifying DLLs, or without using an event sink.

Exchange Auto Accept Agent
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3D0884E6-C603-491D-BF57-ACF03E046BFE&displaylang=en

The Exchange Auto Accept Agent has been around for a quite a while but is a very nice tool to have in order to create resource accounts such as Conference room, or Projector so that users can see what resources are available for scheduling.  A store event sink that automatically processes meeting requests for resource mailboxes. The Exchange Server Auto Accept Agent checks the availability of the resource mailbox based on the resource’s schedule (not free/busy), and accepts or declines new or updated meeting requests.

Chris Lehr chips in:
Speaking of auto accept agent - check out http://www.swinc.com/products/ERM/
It has a GUI for managing "resource" mailboxes - a lot smarter!

If you are looking for good network and sever utilities, check out Tools4Ever.

Black Humour

I was musing with 'Barking' Eddie about the lack of response to last week's RSI article, when Eddie said, 'Guy what do you expect, those who suffer finger and wrist injuries are so crocked they cannot reply, whilst those who don't suffer don't care about RSI'.

Will and Guy Humour

This week we have a visual theme, pictures showing the power and awe of lightning.

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