How to Get Started with Microsoft Hosted Exchange?

Building an online presence for your company begins with a domain name. Having a clear brand identity significantly impacts how customers find, think about, and interact with you and your business. Before anything else, you must have a domain assigned to your Hosted Exchange package. Assigning a domain is vital as it is a prerequisite to managing the Hosted Exchange control panel.

If you recently moved to a new control panel, please follow the steps below to assign a domain to your Hosted Exchange package.

1. Log in to your account via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
2. On the left navigation menu, click Professional Email.
   
3. Click Manage next to your Microsoft Hosted Exchange Service.
   
4. Select Go next to the Action Item that asks you to Assign a Domain.
5. From the drop-down menu, select the domain name you want to assign. If your domain name is not registered with Network Solutions, you should select the option "If you would like to assign a domain name that is not listed, click here."
6. After assigning a domain using the steps above, log in to the Hosted Exchange Control Panel with your admin account and password.
7. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then click Domains under the UTILITY section.
   
8. Enter your domain name in the blank box under the Add Existing Domain section.
   
   Important: Check the box and click the Add button if you would like to prevent the automatic creation of email messages with this domain alias. An excluded domain cannot be set as your default domain.
9. If there are no errors, you should see a message confirming that the domain has been successfully added.
   
   Note: Please allow 30 minutes for the domain to be assigned to the server. Creating mailboxes before the domain is fully assigned can cause issues when setting up mailboxes.

If you would like to add a new domain to your exchange account, you can do this on the Domain page of your control panel.

Once the domain is added, email aliases at this domain are automatically added to your account's mailboxes, distribution lists, and public folders. To make these aliases your primary (reply-as) email address, you have to set the domain to default.

Listed below are the DNS settings for your Hosted Exchange email. To set up these, please see How to Manage DNS and Advanced DNS Records.

Users are people you allow to manage your email services. During the initial setup of the company or business, an admin account is created. To add a new mailbox, you must first create a user. Follow the steps below to add new users to your account.

1. On the Hosted Exchange Control Panel home page, navigate to the USERS section and click the +Create User button.
   
2. On the next screen, select any services you want on the account and fill in all necessary fields.
   
   Note: Users can be created without any services enabled; they can be enabled later if necessary.
3. Click the Create user button.
   A new user has been added to the account.
4. You can update the user account to enable a service, reset a password, change password settings, update user information, and set permissions. You can do all these by clicking the Users tab on the Hosted Exchange Control Panel home page and selecting the account you want to update. See Manage Hosted Exchange Users.

Please see the steps below if you want to create a user by copying the set of settings from an existing user.

1. Navigate to the USERS tab of the control panel.
2. Click the arrow next to +Create User.
   
3. Click the Copy from existing user option.
4. Choose the existing user that you want to copy, then click Select.
   
    The following properties will be copied:
   1. Services enabled
   2. Distribution Lists Membership
   3. Organizational Unit
5. Specify the display name, email address, and password of the new user.
6. Click Create user.
   Note: User permissions will not be copied to the new user. You will need to specify permissions after the user is created.

Creating mailboxes is closely related to creating user accounts. When you create a mailbox, a user is automatically created. Meanwhile, when you create a user, a mailbox is created if you assign a service to that user.

In this section, we will discuss:

• Creating Mailboxes
• Adding a Mailbox to an Existing User

Creating Mailboxes

Follow the steps below to create a new mailbox in the Hosted Exchange control panel.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then select Mailbox.
2. Click on Create User.
   
3. Select the services you want to enable for this specific user. The services available to choose from are Exchange, OWA-Only Mailboxes, Skype for Business, and Email Archiving.
   • Exchange – This cloud-based service allows you to manage email, contacts, and calendar items. This data is synced between the server and any email client configured to connect to the mailbox.
   • OWA-Only Mailboxes – Outlook Web Access (OWA) allows you to access email, contacts, calendars, and tasks using a web browser. OWA also connects with your other cloud-based Office tools such as Excel, OneNote, OneDrive, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Word, etc., making collaboration smooth and seamless.
   • Skype for Business – Skype for Business allows you to connect quickly with people within your organization or globally. You can also integrate Skype for Business with your other office programs, so you can securely chat, call, or join a meeting with a single click.
   • Email Archiving – This service secures and protects the data contained in your email and retrieves it when needed.
4. Specify the display name that you want to use.
5. The first part of the email address will be filled out automatically. Make adjustments if needed.
6. Select the desired domain name that you want to use for this email address from the drop-down menu. If the domain is not listed there, it means that you have not added the domain yet. Click Add domain to manage your domain names. Please see the instructions under the Assign a Domain section.
7. Create or generate a password for that user.
   Note: You can create multiple mailboxes at once by clicking Add another user and filling out all necessary fields.
8. Click Create User.
9. If you enabled Outlook Web Access (OWA), that user can log in to their webmail by typing https://owa.msoutlookonline.net/ into their browser.
   Note: The username for OWA is case-sensitive. Use the full email address exactly as it shows in the Control Panel. Also, creating an Exchange mailbox will create a Service User. If you set up the Service User and do not choose the option to add Exchange, you will have a login with no mailbox attached to it.

Adding a Mailbox to an Existing User

Follow the steps below to set up a Hosted Exchange mailbox for an existing user.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab in the Hosted Exchange Control Panel, then select Mailbox.
2. Click Display all users.
3. Select the checkbox under Exchange Mailbox next to the user with whom you want to establish a new mailbox.
   
   Note: If the user's current email address uses a domain not registered on the account, you will be prompted to change the email address to incorporate one of the domain names registered on the account.
4. Click the Proceed button and then the Confirm button to save the changes.
5. If you enabled Outlook Web Access (OWA), that user can log in to their webmail by typing https://owa.msoutlookonline.net/ into their browser.
   Note: The username for OWA is case-sensitive. Use the full email address exactly as it shows in the Control Panel. Also, creating an Exchange mailbox will create a Service User. If you set up the Service User and do not choose the option to add Exchange, you will have a login with no mailbox attached to it.

Spam emails are irrelevant and unsolicited digital communication sent out to many people, trying to sell you a product or persuade you to take action. You must add the sender to the Blocked Senders email filter in the control panel to prevent spam messages from reaching your email. Meanwhile, if you don't want to miss important emails with spam characteristics, make sure that you add the sender to the Safe Senders list.

In this section, we will discuss:

• Domain Level Spam Filter Setup (Admin Level)
• Individual Mailbox Spam Filter Setup (User Level)
• Reviewing Safe and Blocked Senders

Domain-Level Spam Filter Setup (Admin Level)

This section covers configuring spam filters at the domain level, which applies to all mailboxes under the domain.

Follow the steps below to add a domain, email address, and IP address to your Safe and Blocked Senders list.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then select Email Protection.
2. Click Inbound Policies.
3. Select a policy, then click on Blocked Senders or Safe Senders. You have unlimited entries on either the blocked or the safe senders list.
   Important: Do not add your domain, email address, or IP address under Safe Senders. Doing so will cause a problem with our spam filtering services, allowing spam messages to reach your inbox.
4. Enter an email address, domain, or IP address in the field provided, then click Add. There must be a space, comma, semicolon, or line between each entry.
   
5. You can also import a list by clicking Import from TXT.

Individual Mailbox Spam Filter (User Level)

Each mailbox has its own Safe and Blocked Senders list, enabling users to personalize their spam management by fine-tuning filters to meet their specific email needs. Unlike domain-level configurations, which apply universally across all mailboxes, individual mailbox configurations provide greater flexibility and are preferred for end-user management.

Follow the steps below to personalize your spam management in your mailbox:

1. Open your Mail app and navigate to Settings.
2. In the sidebar on the left, click Mail.
3. Select Accounts, then locate and click Block or Allow.
4. Add email addresses or domains to the Safe Senders and Recipients list as needed.
5. Click Save to apply your changes.
   

Reviewing Safe and Blocked Senders

After setting up domain-level and individual mailbox spam filters, admins can further refine email management by reviewing user-specific safe and blocked lists. If an email is blocked, it’s often due to the user’s personal block list rather than the domain-wide block list managed by the admin.

Follow the steps below to access and manage these lists, troubleshoot email delivery issues, and ensure consistent filtering across the organization.

1. Open the admin panel and navigate to 'Email Protection Standard'.
   
2. Select 'User Quarantine Takeover'.
   
3. Choose the specific email address (or multiple addresses).
   
4. Click on 'Safe and Blocked Senders' to view or manage the user’s personal block list..
   

Click the email client you are using to view the instructions.

1. How Do I Set Up Outlook 2013?
2. How to Set Up Email in Outlook 2016?
3. How Do I Set Up Outlook 2019?
4. How to Set Up Email on Mac
5. How to Set Up Thunderbird Email Client

Distribution lists help you organize your addresses into groups that you can send to all at once. For example, you can create a distribution list called Sales and add all your sales staff to that list. When you send a message to Sales, it will deliver that message to every part of that distribution list.

Follow the steps below to create a Distribution List.

1. From the Hosted Exchange Control Panel home page, select Exchange email.
   
2. On the left navigation menu, select Distribution Lists.
   
3. Click Create New Distribution List.
4. Type the display name and email address of the Distribution List in the fields provided. You can select a domain name if you have several domains listed in your account. If the desired domain is not listed there, it means that you have not added the domain yet. Click Add domain to manage your domain names. Please see the instructions under the Assign a Domain section.
   
5. Click Create & Add Members.
6. Select the members of this distribution list. You can choose mailboxes, contacts, or other distribution lists. Click Add.
   

Resource mailboxes are created to represent conference rooms or shared equipment. They can be included as resources in meeting requests and provide a simple and efficient way to utilize resources for an organization.

There are 2 types of resource mailboxes that you can create: room and equipment.

• Room mailboxes are assigned to a meeting location, such as a conference room, auditorium, or training room.
• Equipment mailboxes are assigned to a resource that is not location-specific, such as a portable computer projector, microphone, or company car.

Follow the steps below to create Resource Mailboxes.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then select Resource Mailboxes.
2. Click Create Resource Mailboxes.
3. Specify the name of this resource mailbox. The display name will show in the Global Address List.
4. Review the email address that has been automatically set for the new resource mailbox. Make any adjustments if needed.
5. Select the desired domain name that you want to use for this email address from the drop-down menu. If the domain is not listed there, it means that you have not added the domain yet. Click Add a domain to manage your domain names.
6. Select the type of resource you want to appear in the Global Address List.
7. Select Organizational Unit. This feature's availability depends on your plan.
8. If you need to create more than one resource mailbox, click Add another resource mailbox and repeat steps 3 through 7. Click the Create Resource Mailbox button.

After the resource mailbox is created, you can manage it by navigating to Services > Resource Mailbox > Display Name of Resource mailbox.

A delegate is a user assigned to manage the resource mailboxes, which includes approving or rejecting out-of-policy meeting requests for a resource. To add a delegate, click Delegates.

This section of your Control Panel allows you to create, delete, and manage Top-Level Public Folders on your Exchange Package. Public folders are for mail items only. Using a Shared Calendar or Contacts in an individual's mailbox is recommended for a group calendar or address book.

In this section, we will discuss:

• Creating Public Folders
• Granting Permissions to Top-Level Public Folders

Creating Public Folders

Follow the steps below to create Public Folders in your Hosted Exchange control panel.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then select Public Folders.
2. Click Create New Public Folder(s).
   

Granting Permissions to Top-Level Public Folders

Permissions set for a top-level public folder cannot be propagated down to all subfolders using Outlook. However, you can do it via the Hosted Exchange control panel. Follow the steps below to grant permissions to Top-Level Public Folders.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then select Public Folders.
2. Select the public folder whose permissions you wish to modify.
3. Open the Client Permissions tab.
   
4. In the Access list section, check the boxes next to the users or groups whose permissions you wish to modify, then set the permissions accordingly.
   Important: Owner permissions will only be applicable for subfolders. Due to our security policy, Top-Level Public Folders cannot have Owner permission. The highest permissions allowed for a Top-Level Public Folder is Publishing Editor.
    
   Note: Only a user with Owner permissions can alter the Public Folder's default view.

The company disclaimer is a statement that is automatically added to all outgoing emails. A disclaimer is added at the end of your email, but often they are part of your email signature.

Follow the steps below to create a disclaimer.

1. Navigate to the SERVICES tab, then click Compliance.
2. Click Company Disclaimer.
3. Tick the box next to Enable Email Signature and enter the disclaimer in the field provided.
   
4. Click Save Changes.
5. To disable the company disclaimer, uncheck the box next to Enable Email Signature.