Registration and configuration of a Microsoft 365 (Office 365) tenant

After you created a CodeTwo Admin Panel account and signed in, it's time to register your Microsoft 365 (Office 365) tenant to our service and specify how signatures should be added to this tenant. See step-by-step instructions below or check out our video tutorial:

You can add a new tenant to the Admin Panel directly from the Dashboard, by clicking the Add () button on the Tenants card (see Fig. 1.). Alternatively, go to the Tenants tab and use the Add new tenant () button.

Fig. 1. CodeTwo Admin Panel - Dashboard view.

In either case, a configuration wizard will open. Read on or use the links below to learn about all the steps.

• License agreement
• Sign in
• Region
• Signature mode
• Provisioning
  • Server-side mode provisioning
  • Client-side mode provisioning
  • Combo mode provisioning

In the first step (1. License agreement), read and accept the terms and conditions (Fig. 2.).

Fig. 2. Registering a new tenant to CodeTwo Email Signatures 365, step 1.

In the next step (2. Sign in – not shown here), click Next and you will be redirected to the Microsoft account sign-in website (Fig. 3.). Sign in with your Microsoft 365 global admin credentials – this is the only account type that has all the permissions required by the program to add personalized email signatures.

Fig. 3. The Microsoft 365 sign-in page.

Accept the permissions necessary to run CodeTwo Email Signatures 365 with your tenant.

After that, in step 3. Region (Fig. 4.) you need to select a region for the CodeTwo Email Azure Service (which adds signatures and stores your settings). Choose the location of the server in which your Microsoft 365 tenant resides (or the nearest one) and click Next.

Fig. 4. Choosing the location of the CodeTwo Email Azure Service.

Step 4., Signature mode (Fig. 5.), is where you decide how signatures should be added in your organization. You can choose the following signature modes:

• Server-side mode: selected by default because it works with all email clients. In this mode, a signature is added after an email is sent. You can still preview the signature as you type an email by deploying a dedicated Web Add-in (centrally from the Microsoft 365 admin center).
• Client-side mode: works with Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac and OWA. A signature is added automatically when you compose a message, or you can select a different signature manually in Outlook.
• Combo mode: works with all email clients. It's a combination of the server-side and client-side modes. Signature is added as you type an email in Outlook. If you use other email clients, signature is added after an email is sent.

When you select a mode, the program shows how your mail flow will look like and provides a comparison table. You can also learn more about signature modes in this article. Read on or use the links above to learn about all installation scenarios.

Fig. 5. Signature mode selection.

Server-side mode provisioning

To continue setting up your tenant in the default signature mode, leave Server-side mode selected, scroll down and click Register (see Fig. 5.). A successful tenant registration will be confirmed in the last step of the wizard (5. Provisioning), shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6. Successful tenant registration in the server-side signature mode.

Directly after tenant registration, you need to wait (usually for about 3-15 minutes) for our services to be provisioned before you can proceed with further configuration.

You can track the provisioning status for your tenant on the Tenants tab, by refreshing the page. When the process is finished, the Signature mode status on your tenant's card will change from Provisioning in progress to Connectors configuration required (Fig. 7.). You will also get an email notification with further setup instructions.

Fig. 7. The tenant card status displayed after the server-side provisioning is completed.

At this point, your tenant is almost ready - you only need to complete a few additional steps to finish the tenant's configuration. To learn more, click the Connectors configuration required status on your tenant's card (Fig. 7.). The program will show additional information and redirect you to the Next steps page (Fig. 8.), where you will learn what is required to finish the configuration of your tenant.

Fig. 8. The Next steps page.

It is recommended that you configure your SPF record and Exchange Online connectors now, according to the instructions displayed (Fig. 8.). See the articles below for step-by-step instructions.

• SPF record configuration guidelines
• Exchange Online connectors' configuration guidelines

When your mail flow is configured, the Next steps page (Fig. 8.) will explain how to create your first email signature rule.

Client-side mode provisioning

If you choose the client-side signature mode in step 4. of the tenant registration wizard (see Fig. 5.) and click Register, the tenant is registered and provisioned right away.

You now need to deploy either of the two Outlook signature add-ins to people who will be using CodeTwo email signatures in Outlook:

• modern CodeTwo Signatures Web Add-in for Outlook and OWA, deployed from Microsoft 365 admin center to all or selected users (see instructions),
• classic CodeTwo Signatures Add-in for Outlook (COM Add-in), deployed either globally (see instructions for GPO or Intune) or individually by each Outlook user (see instructions).

However, since you have not created any signature templates yet, it's better to prepare them first - follow the steps provided in this article to create client-side email signature rules. 

Combo mode provisioning

If you selected the combo mode in the tenant registration wizard (see Fig. 5.) and clicked Register, the provisioning includes both:

• server-side provisioning, which can take 3-15 minutes, and requires setting up your SPF record and mail flow connectors thereafter;
• client-side provisioning, which is immediate, but requires deploying an Outlook signatures add-in.

Use the links above to learn about both of these provisioning processes and the steps you need to follow to start using email signatures in these modes.