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Did you know that Outlook Web Access enables you to securely access your Microsoft Exchange mailbox through the Internet? All you need is an Internet connection to read and send e-mail from home or the road. You simply log in with your network user name and password. Outlook Web Access mirrors your traditional Outlook mailboxes, so you can manage your e-mail on the road and see the same changes when you get back to the office. Outlook Web Access also shows you the same calendar information, tasks, and contacts that you see in the office. |
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How does it work?
1. First, you must be using Exchange. If you have Exchange 2000 or later installed on a server with Internet Information server, Outlook Web Access is set by default. To see whether this is the case, use any workstation that is logged on to the server and type “yourexchangeservername/exchange” into a web browser. Outlook Web Access should open to the mailbox of the logged in user.
2. If Outlook Web Access is set up, the next step is to make it public. You do this by connecting a domain name to your public IP address. When your staff is on the road, the last thing they want to do is try to remember an IP address such as 192.168.1.1. It’s best to pick an easily remembered domain name such as “webmail.yourcompany.com” and connect it to your public IP address. Your IP address is most likely the same as the one at which your MX record points.
3. Now that you have an easy-to-remember domain name for Outlook Web Access, you need to make it secure. To do this, purchase a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate and install it on an Exchange server that allows SSL-encrypted web access. You can get the security certificate from Network Solutions or another SLL provider at a cost of around $800 per year. If you skip this security step, your login process will be unsecured, which can leave your company open to security breaches.
4. If users don’t already use unique network passwords, it’s best to begin now. This simple security measure is often overlooked, but it’s an important security step when using Outlook Web Access. If all users share a single password, it’s much easier for an outsider to breach network and Outlook Web Access security.
5. When you have taken all of the steps described above, it’s time to open the appropriate ports in your firewall. Port 25 may already be open, to allow e-mail to reach your Exchange server. Now you need to open Port 80 (HTTP) and Port 443 (SSL). Inform Outlook Web Access users that they must use HTTPS when typing in the Outlook Web Access domain name, to allow SSL connectivity. Be sure to also disable HTTP connection to your company’s Outlook Web Access.
What is the final result? At-home and remote users simply type in https://webmail.yourcompany.com. They log in through the authentication screen, which asks for the user name, password, and domain name. Once they are logged in, they can view and manage e-mail just as they would in the office.
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