Can I use Outlook 2010 (beta) with OWA account?

Question

One of the new features of Outlook 2010 (beta) is the support for multiple Exchange accounts. I'm wondering if there is any way to use this together with a (different) Outlook Web Access account to also get that email in Outlook.

Specifially, in additional to my regular corporate (Exchange) account, I also use another corporate account through OWA. With this second account, the only supported access is through OWA; while POP3 access is available, it is not actually suported.

I'm not very familiar with configuring Exchange servers, but in talking to those who are, it sounds like enabling Outlook Web Access is (slightly) different than allowing access from Outlook via HTTP(s). Is that correct? If so, it doesn't really semm quite right as absolute worst-case, one could (theoretically) resort to screen-scraping OWA.

Edit: this looks to be about the same as Activesync/OWA Desktop Client?

(This doesn't have anything to do with the question, but I'm actually using this second corporate account in Outlook by POP3'ing to Gmail, and then IMAP4 from Gmail to Outlook. Obviously, it would be much nicer to add it as a second Exchange account.).

Solution 1

Seriously, it seems that Microsoft is trying to keep people from using Outlook in an obvious way. I can use ActiveSync from my Android device with no problem. It seems utterly foolish of MS to not include this protocol in their flagship desktop e-mail app.

Google wins again. Shame on your Microsoft.

Solution 2

I wrote the question that you linked to in your edit, a question I still haven't found a good answer to.

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. It seems there's 4 ways to connect to exchange: RPC, RPC over HTTPS(eg. Outlook Anywhere), OWA, and Activesync.

RPC is how Outlook connects to Exchange on the LAN(or VPN), you always hide this behind the firewall.

OWA is IIS serving up a web version of Outlook.

Outlook Anywhere is Outlook wrapping RPC in HTTPS(Why can't you just expose RPC to the world?)

Activesync is how WM phones/Blackberry's/iPhones/etc talk to Exchange.

Where I think the confusion sets in, MOST of the time, admins seem to set up Outlook Anywhere(a proxy), Activesync, and OWA on the same public server. This make them seem to be the same, but they are not. Case in point, where I work I have OWA and Activesync, but no Outlook Anywhere. Result of this, my iPod touch can talk activesync to Exchange, but my freakin' desktop Outlook cannot.

So my point is, you can connect to that "OWA" account if Outlook Anywhere is enabled.

Again, please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

Solution 3

Outlook Web Access is (slightly) different than allowing access from Outlook via HTTP(s).

Yes.

Outlook Web Access is the online web based email that you can use from anywhere.

Outlook via HTTP(s) is basically the Outlook protocol delivered in a http(s) wrapper, so it has no easy to use web based mail....

However, both are easy to install and administer

I highly recommend you try the Exchange Technet Virtual Labs where you can mess around and test this in a Virtual environment.

Comments

[kafa.gitti]

The reasons I was given for only OWA: 1) support--don't want to deal with configuring Outlook on distant computers, and 2) security--paranoia about opening new ports.

[ThatGraemeGuy]

a.k.a. incompetence and laziness.

[kafa.gitti]

@Graeme: that might well be the case, my other exchange account is actually provided by a unit of government. Although there is a real dollars-and-cents cost associated with "1"...

[kafa.gitti]

So I guess a somewhat related question is why are OWA and Outlook Anywhere (HTTP/s) access different? As I said, one could--in theory--screen-scrape OWA to "implement" Outlook Anyway (insert some hand-waving here). The differences seem mostly implementation details and/or (poor?) architectural decisions. Or, are there real-life situations where you would want one but not the other.

[Stephen Jennings]

Outlook Anywhere is to provide access to client programs like Outlook and Windows Mobile. OWA is a web application that allows access to email through the web. They are for two entirely different use cases, so they are separate features.

[William Hilsum]

wasn't there a bounty here?... Anyway... @Dan, technically you could screen scrape OWA and implement your own outlook anywhere... but why?. OWA is designed as a end user application, Outlook Anywhere is the raw outlook data. They have already done the hard work for you!

[kafa.gitti]

Exactly the same problem: OWA and ActiveSync, but not Outlook Anywhere.

[kafa.gitti]

They've (finally!) fixed this in Outlook 2015, although there appear to be some problems.