Autodiscover and Exchange

The Autodiscover service makes configuring and managing Outlook 2007 more simple. Before, all user profiles had to be configured manually to get access to Exchange. Extra steps were also needed to complete changes to the settings. Autodiscover uses the email address and domain account of the user in combination with the previously chosen domain name (autodiscover.domain.com) to automatically configure the users profile. By using the email address and domain account, Autodiscover can automatically pass the following information back to the client:

• The displaynaam of the uses
• Connection settings for both internal and external access
• The location of the server on which the mailbox of the user is saved
• The URL's for the different Outlook features, such as availability, Out of Office assistant, Unified Messaging, and the web based offline address book
• Outlook Anywhere server configuration settings

This offers a large advantage when configuring remote Outlook clients and mobile phones as it is much faster. In addition, the steps are usually simple enough that users can configure it with a short manual, so no system administrator needs to be involved. Especially with organizations in which mobile phones are used or external coworkers that use Outlook, this can save much time.