Managing 2 Emails in Outlook 2007 – Exchange Ser

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Our law firm has just upgraded our server and we have switched from popped email to an exchange server. I am tasked with managing two separate email addresses, and the accompanying calendars, tasks, etc; one for me and another for my boss, who does not have access to a computer.

The simple answer to my quandry is to stick a computer on the attorney’s desk, but that’s not going to happen. Exchange will neither allow me to fully manage two separate inboxes, nor have messages addressed to both addresses in one single inbox (as when we were popping our mail). An auto forward of mail to one email address to the other one won’t work, as I need to see the original sender in the from box, not the forwarding address.

I have managed to open a copy of the second inbox in Outlook, but I must now manually edit the sender if I want to send from that email account, and even then, the sent messages get put in the other inbox.

I also can’t get Outlook to run rules on messages for the secondary account (mine!) so any moving of messages into the proper folder has to be done manually. I had been using rules extensively to sort incoming mail into particular folders, and that won’t work, either. Even manually running a rule only affects the messages in the main email account, entirely ignoring the one I am in when I run the rule.

Also, the tasks that I had set up will no longer show on the Outlook Today page, for either account. The only way to see my extensive list of time-sensitive tasks is to use the To-Do bar, which cuts into a significant chunk of my screen width. I don’t use the reading pane, and I’m not willing to give up additional screen width for information that is labeled as available on the Outlook Today page. There is a category for tasks on the Outlook Today page, it simply is no longer populated with the information.

We outsource our IT work to a third-party company, and I’ve driven the tech responsible for this server upgrade crazy with what he has finally convinced me are impossible demands, given the way Exchange Server functions. My last hope is that there is a third party email client that will allow me the flexibility to fully manage two separate email addresses from one computer on the new server.

Surely I’m not the only person who’s run up against these limitations. I’m hoping that someone more talented than I has already solved the problem. Any suggestions?

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Our law firm has just upgraded our server and we have switched from popped email to an exchange server. I am tasked with managing two separate email addresses, and the accompanying calendars, tasks, etc; one for me and another for my boss, who does not have access to a computer.

The simple answer to my quandry is to stick a computer on the attorney’s desk, but that’s not going to happen. Exchange will neither allow me to fully manage two separate inboxes, nor have messages addressed to both addresses in one single inbox (as when we were popping our mail). An auto forward of mail to one email address to the other one won’t work, as I need to see the original sender in the from box, not the forwarding address.

I have managed to open a copy of the second inbox in Outlook, but I must now manually edit the sender if I want to send from that email account, and even then, the sent messages get put in the other inbox.

I also can’t get Outlook to run rules on messages for the secondary account (mine!) so any moving of messages into the proper folder has to be done manually. I had been using rules extensively to sort incoming mail into particular folders, and that won’t work, either. Even manually running a rule only affects the messages in the main email account, entirely ignoring the one I am in when I run the rule.

Also, the tasks that I had set up will no longer show on the Outlook Today page, for either account. The only way to see my extensive list of time-sensitive tasks is to use the To-Do bar, which cuts into a significant chunk of my screen width. I don’t use the reading pane, and I’m not willing to give up additional screen width for information that is labeled as available on the Outlook Today page. There is a category for tasks on the Outlook Today page, it simply is no longer populated with the information.

We outsource our IT work to a third-party company, and I’ve driven the tech responsible for this server upgrade crazy with what he has finally convinced me are impossible demands, given the way Exchange Server functions. My last hope is that there is a third party email client that will allow me the flexibility to fully manage two separate email addresses from one computer on the new server.

Surely I’m not the only person who’s run up against these limitations. I’m hoping that someone more talented than I has already solved the problem. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately you can not access more than one Exchange account at a time (as an Exchange account) with Outlook.

AFAIK, you have two options:

1.) Define multiple mail profiles. Then you must choose which to use when you open Outlook. This completely separates the two mail addresses and you are always sure of which you are using. The downside is always shutting down Outlook and restarting to with the other profile.

2.) Setup another account in Outlook using POP/SMTP to access the attorney account. Your Exchange account would be the primary account. Outlook can access both accounts. You must be very careful about the “from” address if you are expecting it to be the attorney’s account.

Joe

--Joe

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After puzzling over this for a while, I wonder if you might be willing to consider running Virtual PC on your computer, and putting your boss’ Outlook on the virtual PC. You would have to switch back and forth, but that would give you separation of your email account (and tasks and reminders) from that of your boss. In effect you are giving your boss a computer on your desk… It would also help to know what versions of Exchange Server, Outlook and your Windows version.

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I like the Virtual PC idea. Alternatively, you could share the calendars and tasks and manage those from your Outlook, but handle all the mail through any other MAPI enabled mail client, like Thunderbird.

NH

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Why not just use Outlook Web Access for one account via your browser and the Outlook client for the other account. The drawback is the limits of OWA and the probable need to save most communications, but this would let you at least be logged in to two seperate accounts at the same time and then toggle between them as needed.

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