Exchange & Office 365 Admin's Blog
Windows Server, Exchange, Office 365 and more - a spam-free diet of tested tips and solutions.
Posted on Exporting mailboxes to PST is a well known workaround for backup, archiving and migration of Exchange mailboxes. The video below shows all the steps required to export emails, contacts, calendars and other mailbox items to a Personal Storage Table (PST) files.
Continue reading ‘Export Exchange mailbox data to PST with PowerShell (video guide)’
Posted on One of the most interesting security options in Exchange 2019 is the Client Access Rules feature. It allows the administrator to define rules to block or limit access to EAC (former ECP) and to EMS (Exchange Management Shell). This functionality was not present in previous versions of Exchange and now it is a security milestone for small organizations, which cannot afford solutions like firewall operating at OSI layer 7 (application layer) to restrict access from the outside of the organization.
Managing Client Access Rules is possible only from the Exchange Management Shell level. There is no GUI you can use to manage them. The Client Access Rules feature allows you to block:
With the use of more advanced rules, you can also block elements like authentication protocols, selected users in Active Directory or users having specified attributes in AD like e.g. Department, Company, etc. To get more information about Client Access Rules, visit this Microsoft document.
Posted on I can see very often that the difference between archive and backup is not equally sharp for everyone. If you are an active user of tech forums, you perhaps also noticed the foggy conception when it comes to deciding on whether the company actually needs backup or archive or maybe both. As a response to that, CodeTwo has created an infographic Archive vs Backup to show the key differences between these two options.
It seems that the most common misconception is that when companies look for backups but what they actually need is archiving. And vice versa, when the company looks for a way to archive data but the real need is to have operational backup copies. To suit your company needs when it comes to data protection and ensuring data availability, you should be aware of the differences between backup and archive as they are meant for different purposes.
Continue reading ‘What is the difference between archive and backup? – Infographic’
Posted on Distribution lists are known under a few different names. Distribution groups, contact groups and distribution lists – all refer to the same feature. The primary purpose of a distribution list is to send emails to multiple recipients – yes, as simple as that. The simplicity of their design and the idea behind distribution groups make them an essential email feature. It’s no wonder they have been around since the earliest versions of Exchange Server and that they can be found in Office 365, as well. Although they have survived in a very similar form, Office 365 also offers a redesigned form of distribution lists – Office 365 Groups.
Office 365 focuses on using the upgraded version of distribution groups – Office 365 Groups. I will start with a quick comparison between the two features. Later on, I will describe a few common administration tasks concerning Office 365 distribution lists.
Continue reading ‘Distribution lists in Office 365 – administration tips’
Posted on SharePoint Online provides an excellent platform for collaboration, sharing documents and making life easier for Office 365 users. But one of the most important factors which makes companies choose it over other, similar solutions is its focus on security. Safeguarded by Azure Information Protection, and packed with features like item versioning, retention policies and notifications sent in response to changes, it provides a safe work environment. However, the greatest of all SharePoint Online features (security-wise) are audit logs.
SharePoint Online audit logs can be a gold mine when it comes to monitoring users’ activity, especially its suspicious kind. Read on if you want to know what SharePoint Online audit logs can contain, how to enable them, and how to view their contents.
Continue reading ‘How to enable and view SharePoint Online logs?’
Posted on While it is possible to manage your SharePoint Online using the Office 365 portal, there are some tasks which are much easier and quicker to do with PowerShell. If you want to optimize your SharePoint Online administration – PowerShell is your friend. Whenever you come across a repetitive administrative task, you can be sure that PowerShell will help you automate it, at least to some extent.
Before you perform any kind of an administrative task in your SharePoint Online, you need to connect to your organization. Mind that connecting to SharePoint Online might be useful not only when you want to manage your SharePoint sites and permissions, but also when you want to run some scripts on Office 365 groups. This article shows you how to take the first step to manage your online resources by connecting to your SharePoint organization with PowerShell.
Continue reading ‘How to connect to SharePoint Online using PowerShell?’
Posted on There are different angles from which you can look at the Public Folders migration. For example, you can:
Depending on which way you choose, there will be different aspects to pay attention to. Here you will find some references to each of these, but the main focus is on aspects of Public Folders to Public Folders migration in on-premises Exchange or Office 365. You will also find Public Folders migration tools suggestions and links to other articles you may want to explore.
Continue reading ‘Public Folders migration to Exchange or Office 365’
Posted on Exchange 2019 is already out so perhaps your organization starts planning its Exchange 2019 migration. It is always a good practice to keep the environment up-to-date, especially if the system security is a priority. However, before taking any big steps like migration, you should make some preparations first.
Posted on It has become a sort of a tradition to use the admin’s blog for informing you on what’s new in the newest Exchange Server version. Now, it is time to answer the question: What is new in Exchange 2019?
Judging from the Exchange Server 2019 Now Available post, you could assume that Exchange 2019 does not have a lot of new things to offer. Generally speaking, it follows the same pattern as the previous on-premises editions: It is an Exchange Online that you can install locally. More or less. However, it turns out that there is a lot more going on under the hood. If you have seen the Welcome to Exchange 2019 session at MS Ignite conference, you probably know that there are some changes that are not that obvious but which make the Exchange 2019 release one-of-a-kind.
Posted on To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies all around the world had to reinvent the way they handle personal information. New procedures and policies, physical data protection measures are on the top of the list of the means to reach the GDPR compliance. However, many organizations seem to overlook one aspect that generates a substantial number of risks – email.
Continue reading ‘How CodeTwo software can help you achieve GDPR compliance’
