How can I make the most of Public Folders?

Public Folders are an excellent resource for a company or group.

Permissions control the access to Public Folders so that a Public Folder can be visible to a specific group only or the whole organization. Under permissions, always allow anonymous access to create items (this is so email can flow to the folder even if the folder is not visible to everyone).

Since they are mail enabled, a common email address can be assigned for a group and be specific to the group (i.e. accounting@mycompany.com). Give this address out to vendors or websites that require an email address instead of an individuals email address. Sub folders can also be created and have their own email addresses for specific projects.

Create Calendars for the Group to post important information. A group Calendar could show vacation times for members. Set up a Company Calendar to indicate company picnic days, show paid days off, paydays and more.

Create a Contacts folder and put all vendor contact information into it. Then all users can access the information when needed.

Create a Tasks folder that can be used to assign projects or to indicate deadlines, so everybody is on the same page.

Use a Public Folder as an Archive for internal company-wide emails. Allow everybody to view the public folder but not delete any items (except for the folder manager), and assign expiration dates for those emails to automatically delete. To set age limits:

Open the Exchange System Manager
-> go to the specified Public Folder
-> right click and choose "Properties"
-> go to the "Limits" tab
-> at the bottom is age limits
-> this can be set by policy
or
-> you can specify the number of days for items to remain before deletion.

You can assign a Home Page for a Public Folder and create a link to it on your Intranet. (Hat's off to Marcs41!)

Since Public Folders are visible from the Outlook client through Exchange server or IMAP4 protocol and from Outlook Web Access, they make a useful tool for travelers to stay up to date.

Education is the key to making Public Folders work. Let the end users know about them and teach them how to utilize the features.

Wyz

Any additions or any corrections? Please send me an email so I can add or correct them. Thanks!