Help MS Exchange Server functionality

[uscpsycho]

I see in the stock Email application that you can connect and sync with Exchange Server. But I have questions before I make the connection.

Does the stock email client just sync email or will it sync calendar & contacts as well?

If it will sync calendar & contacts, does it sandbox them or will calendar & contacts on Exchange be imported into the stock Calendar & Contacts applications on the Epic?

I would like to keep the data in my phone's stock Calendar & Contacts applications separarte from the calendar & contacts in Exchange. Is this possible if I sync using the stock Email client or do I have to use something like Touchdown?

 

[SlyFerret]

I see in the stock Email application that you can connect and sync with Exchange Server. But I have questions before I make the connection.

Does the stock email client just sync email or will it sync calendar & contacts as well?

Yes. It will sync email, contacts, and calendar entries from the Exchange server.

If it will sync calendar & contacts, does it sandbox them or will calendar & contacts on Exchange be imported into the stock Calendar & Contacts applications on the Epic?

Exchange calendar and contacts will show up right alongside the rest of your contacts and calendar entries. The calender can be color coded so that you can tell which ones are which.

Contacts can be viewed by group, so that you can filter the list to show the ones you want.

I would like to keep the data in my phone's stock Calendar & Contacts applications separarte from the calendar & contacts in Exchange. Is this possible if I sync using the stock Email client or do I have to use something like Touchdown?

It isn't possible to do that using the stock email client. On my previous Android phone (before Exchange support was added to Android) I had to use a 3rd party app. I found it very annoying that the contacts and calendar entries were only available in that sandboxed app.

The way I saw it... I may have work events and personal events, but technically, they're all still my schedule, and I can't be in two places at once. Keeping the events on a single calendar, but color coding them works much better for me and keeps me from accidentally double booking myself.

As for the contacts, I just liked having them all in one list so that I don't have to remember which app or list to look in to call somebody. Especially if I'm on the road.

-SF

 

[uscpsycho]

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed to know!

I love it when someone clearly answers a complicated question on the first try.

 

[SlyFerret]

Hey, no problem! Glad I could help!

The way Android handles it works well for me, but since everybody works and thinks differently, it may not work well for everyone.

I also want to add that the Exchange admin can enforce certain security policies on the device in order to allow the device to connect to the Exchange server. The IT folks at the company I work for have a policy that is enforced that won't let the device connect to the server if I don't have a lock pattern or passcode set.

Before you connect up to your work's exchange server, you might want to ask the admins what sort of policies they enforce on personal devices.

Good luck!

-SF

 

[DeepEmissions]

Before you connect up to your work's exchange server, you might want to ask the admins what sort of policies they enforce on personal devices.

Good luck!

-SF

Good Suggestion, recently, our Network Security Admin, stated that smart phones (besides company issued Black Berries) could no longer be allowed to use the Exchange Server; 2 reasons: (believe it or not) the Samsung Epic 4G actually pulls more data from the Exchange Server therefore creates a massive effect if there are a couple hundred pulling information off of 1 exchange server.
2nd reason: the non-issued smartphones pose a higher security risk, like SlyFerret said, his IT Admins would not allow a phone that did not have a secure lock feature active on the phone. That is because if anyone happens to find your phone, they now have access to corporate email addresses, potentially high security emails, Exchange address book, so on...
The BlackBerry can be wiped remotely via the Exchange Server, rendering the smartphone useless... well more than it is already.