MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
Haley
Newbie

Anyone have success syncing droid phone with a MS Xhange Outlook server?  Not sure if our corporate (MS House) is blocking or if a way around as IT is saying they will not support.   Any thoughts?

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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
PPC_Dude
Contributor - Level 2

Haley wrote:

Anyone have success syncing droid phone with a MS Xhange Outlook server?  Not sure if our corporate (MS House) is blocking or if a way around as IT is saying they will not support.   Any thoughts?


Your IT department probably has extra security settings in place for remote devices. (ie. remote wipe). You might try Touchdown or K9 Mail from the Market. I personally use Touchdown, haven't tried K9, but I've heard good things about it. Touchdown has a free trial period (5 days I rhink), but you have to buy it if you want to keep it after that. I think K9 is free. The stock corporate mail app doesn't handle the extra security settings well.

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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
Dangerous_Dave
Contributor - Level 2
It's a snap if your IT guys will give you the security info...you might have to buy somebody a beer. My wife works for the IT department at her work, so they were willing to come off all the server security settings info for her. Once you have that info, it's no harder than setting up any other mail account.
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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
JasonJoel
Enthusiast - Level 2

If they require security functionsm like remote wipe or pin # then you will need to use/buy the TouchDown app. At that point ask them how to set it up on an iPhone or WinMo phone and do the exact same thing on the Touchdown app.

 

NOTE, even with that app they can still choose to block you. Each device that connects to the Exchange tells Exchange what type of device it is. A lot of IT orgs block/shutdown devices they don't explicitly support.

 

So, a second part of my advice is IF you use Touchdown - IMMEDIATELY during setup change the 'device type' string to that of a device your IT org supports!! That makes it difficult (impossible?) to tell that you are using a 'technically' unsupported device.

PocketPC to make it look like a WinMo

iPhone to make it look like an iPhone

 

Jason

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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
BAP729
Newbie

As a Corporate Information Security Officer for a Fortune 500 company I cannot say I am surprised to see people giving advice on how to circumvent their companies security policies. We do not set those policies to make life difficult for you, we set those policies to protect our customers, our shareholders, and you our employees. By circumventing policies you are putting your companies at risk of law suits and regulatory actions, that in some cases HAVE put companies out of business.  If you chose to ignore your companies policies when setting up your email and something bad happens that affects your stock price and your job, do not blame it on "those security people" put the blame where it lies... yourself.

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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
JasonJoel
Enthusiast - Level 2

While I'll concede that SOMETIMES you are right - the rules are there for good reasons - the problem is that more often than not, they AREN'T there for good reasons.

 

Rather, they are there because the IT org has tested and implemented the minimum they feel they have to in order to get people off their back, the minimum they have time to test, or are just doing what the boss told them (and nothing more). None of those are great technical reasons for limiting things.

 

Exchange syncing a great example. I applaud a company for requiring pin codes + remote wipe capability in end devices, as well as only remote sync enabling accounts that need it. But after that, they shouldn't care what the end device is as long as it adheres to the security requirements. I am sure you will disagree. :smileyhappy:

 

From my experience, I believe that most people in large corporations HATE their IT org because they hinder productivity instead of enhance it in the spirit of reducing IT costs or maintaining control of things that aren't security or IP related. I'm nont saying it is always their fault (they don't always own the budget for instance), but in the end that is where we are at.

 

Jason {edited for privacy}

 

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Re: MS Xchange Server and Droid Phone
jeffpack1957
Newbie

If you are at MS, then buy touchdown from the market, and you'll be a happy camper.  I am.

 

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