Sending Emails via a Mail Group

Sending Emails via a Mail Group

Email communication is one of the most critical elements for businesses today. Many companies use Microsoft Exchange Server to organize their internal and external communications. In this guide, we will discuss in detail how to create a mail group on Exchange Server 2010 and send emails through this group, and we will compare it with other versions of Exchange.

What is a Mail Group and Why Use It?

A mail group is a structure that facilitates sending emails to a specific group of people simultaneously. Instead of sending emails to multiple individuals one by one, you can create a mail group and send a single email to reach all group members. This saves time and speeds up workflows.

Step 1: Set Up the Mail Group

• Open the Exchange Management Console:
  Run the “Exchange Management Console” application on your computer.
• Find and Select the Mail Group:
  Go to the “Recipient Configuration” tab in the left-hand menu. Click on “Distribution Group.” Find an existing mail group here or create a new one. After selecting the group, right-click and select “Properties.”
• Edit Group Settings:
  In the “General” tab, check the group name and email address and ensure it is correctly configured.

Step 2: Assign “Send As” Permission to the Group

To send emails through the group, you need to grant “Send As” permission to the individuals who will be using the group’s name. This allows someone to send emails on behalf of the group.

• Open the Exchange Management Shell:
  Run Exchange Management Shell as an administrator.
• Enter the Authorization Command:
  Use the following command to grant the necessary permission:

  Add-ADPermission -Identity "Group Name" -User Username -ExtendedRights "Send As"

Replace “Group Name” with the name of the group from which you want to send emails, and “Username” with the name of the user to whom you want to grant permission. For example:

  Add-ADPermission -Identity "MarketingTeam" -User "JohnDoe" -ExtendedRights "Send As"

In this example, the user “JohnDoe” is granted permission to send emails on behalf of the “MarketingTeam” group.

Step 3: Configure Mail Send Restrictions

• Return to Distribution Group Settings:
  In the Exchange Management Console, select the relevant group, right-click, and go to “Properties” again.
• Edit Mail Flow Settings:
  Click on the “Mail Flow Settings” tab and double-click on “Message Delivery Restrictions.” Here, you can specify who can send emails to this group and from whom it can receive emails. Additionally, you can increase security by checking the “Require that all senders are authenticated” option.

Step 4: Test Sending Emails

Now, the user with permission to send emails on behalf of the group can use Outlook or other email clients to send emails under the group’s name.

In Outlook, when composing a new email, enable the “From” field to select the group’s name. If the “From” field is not visible, go to the “Options” tab and select “Show From.”

How About Other Versions of Exchange?

• Exchange Server 2013 and 2016
• Management Interface: Unlike Exchange 2010, these versions use a web-based management interface called the “Exchange Admin Center” (EAC), which is more user-friendly and modern.
• Send As Permission:
  The PowerShell command for granting “Send As” permission remains the same: Add-ADPermission. In the EAC, go to the “recipients” section, select “groups,” and then choose the relevant group to configure permissions.
• Message Delivery Restrictions: Message delivery restrictions are more easily and intuitively configurable through the EAC.
• Exchange Server 2019
• Management and PowerShell: Exchange 2019 also uses the EAC and offers more advanced PowerShell support.
• Send As Permission: Granting Send As permission and other tasks use the same PowerShell commands as Exchange 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Conclusion

The steps to send emails through a mail group are similar on Exchange Server 2010 and later versions. However, the modern management interface and updates in Exchange 2013, 2016, and 2019 make the process more user-friendly. No matter which version of Exchange Server you are using, following the correct steps allows you to facilitate effective and efficient communication through mail groups.

By following this guide, you can make email group management more efficient and optimize your workflow.