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How to Replace Sponsored Accounts with Resource Accounts for Shared Pitt Email Mailboxes
Effective Friday May 20, 2022, resource accounts will replace sponsored accounts as the recommended method for sharing the management of Pitt Email mailboxes and calendars.
This change is occurring because Pitt IT is enabling Modern authentication for Pitt Email on May 20 in response to Microsoft’s announcement that it is ending support for Basic authentication. Once Modern authentication is enabled, logging in to the Outlook desktop client will require the use of Pitt Passport single sign-on and multifactor authentication, making the sharing of sponsored account credentials infeasible.
Benefits of Shared Resource Accounts
- Simplify access―shared resource accounts automatically display in your Outlook client; no separate username or password required
- Eliminate sharing of login credentials
- Enhance email security and improve auditing capabilities
Action Required: Pitt Email Users
If you currently share a sponsored account with others in your department to manage a Pitt Email mailbox or calendar, please take the following steps before May 20:
A. Request a Resource Account
- Contact the Responsibility Center Account Administrator for your unit and ask them to convert the sponsored account you currently use to a resource account.
- Provide a list of the individuals who need to use the resource account, and ask your Responsibility Center Account Administrator to grant these individuals “full access” rights.
- Ask the Responsibility Center Account Administrator to also grant “send as” rights to anyone who needs to send email from the resource account.
- Your Responsibility Center Account Administrator will let you know once the resource account is ready to use.
B. Remove the Shared Sponsored Account from Outlook
After your Responsibility Center Account Administrator confirms the resource account is ready, remove the sponsored account from your Outlook client. If you do not do so, you may still be prompted to log in after May 20.
C. View the New Resource Account in Outlook
Once your Responsibility Center Account Administrator confirms the resource account is ready, it should automatically display on the left-hand side of your Outlook client. Use the sub-folders below the account name (e.g., Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items) to view and manage email.
Additional Steps for Outlook Web App Users
If you use Outlook Web App (OWA) to manage email and calendars in a Web browser rather than a desktop client, the resource account will not automatically display. Take the following steps to add it to OWA:
- Right-click Folders and click Add shared folder.
- Add the email address of the resource account in the search box, then click the Use this address box to confirm.
Action Required: Responsibility Center Account Administrators
If you are a Responsibility Center Account Administrator for your unit and you receive a request to convert a shared sponsored account to a resource account, please complete the following steps.
- Log in to Accounts Administration (admin.accounts.pitt.edu), click Manage Accounts, and search for the shared account’s name.
- Determine whether the shared account is currently a sponsored account or a resource account.
- If the account is a sponsored account, proceed to step 3.
- If the account is already a resource account, proceed to step 5.
- Contact the 24/7 IT Help Desk and ask them to convert the account to a resource account.
- After the Help Desk confirms the account has been converted to a resource account, log in to Accounts Administration, click Manage Accounts, and search for the account name.
- Click the Exchange Attributes button.
- Under Exchange Permissions for Send As and Full Access, search for the name(s) of individuals who need access to the resource account. This list should be provided by the staff member who asked you to create the resource account.
- Note: You can also use Exchange-enabled CDS groups to manage access to the account. However, please note that granting access to individuals allows the resource account to display automatically in a user’s Outlook client, whereas granting access to groups requires individuals to add the resource account to their Outlook client manually.
- Click Add Full Access for everyone who will be sharing the resource account.
- In addition, click Add Send As for everyone who will need to send email through the resource account.
- Inform the staff member who requested the resource account that it is ready to use.
- Note: If you granted access through a CDS group in step 6, send each member of the group the instructions below explaining how to add the resource account to their Outlook client.
Adding a Resource Account to the Outlook Desktop Client
If you granted access through a CDS group in step 6 above, then send each member of the group these instructions explaining how to add the resource account to their Outlook client:
- Click File in the top left-hand corner of your Outlook desktop client.
- Click the Account Settings drop-down menu and select Account Settings again.
- Click Change.
- Click More Settings.
- Click the Advanced tab, then click Add.
- Type the name of the resource account mailbox, click OK, then click Apply.