Supported email systems and network topology

Applies To: Dynamics CRM 2016, Dynamics CRM Online

The Email Router is an optional interface component that integrates your email system with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and routes qualified email messages to and from your Microsoft Dynamics CRM organization. This section provides guidelines for analyzing your organization’s requirements for integrating email with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and outlines the things to consider when you plan, install, and configure an Email Router deployment.

Supported email systems

The Email Router can connect to one or more email servers running Microsoft Exchange Server or Exchange Online. The Email Router can also connect to POP3-compliant servers to provide incoming email routing. For outgoing email, you can use SMTP and EWS (Exchange Online only). For more information about the email server versions and protocols that Microsoft Dynamics CRM supports, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router software requirements in this guide.

Exchange Server is an enterprise messaging system with the versatility to support various organizations. As with Active Directory and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Exchange Server requires planning before it is deployed. Many documents are available from Microsoft that explain how to plan, deploy, and operate Exchange Server. More information: Exchange.

Network topology and email traffic

The overall requirements to deploy and configure an effective Microsoft Dynamics CRM email solution for a small business are similar to those of a large enterprise. However, a small business might not have an IT department. As you plan your email solution, consider the details of your particular IT environment, such as who is responsible for network administration, what is allowed for Email Router placement, use of forward mailbox, and forwarding rules.

To optimize performance, carefully consider the size, complexity, and geographical distribution of your network. The location of your email servers, the number of users who will route email to and from Microsoft Dynamics CRM, expected traffic levels, and the frequency and size of attachments should help guide your decisions.

For example, an international enterprise-level Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment might have user and queue mailboxes in multiple sites, regions, or countries. Such a deployment may accommodate multiple Microsoft Dynamics CRM organizations and multiple email server configurations. The email servers might be located inside or outside the corporate domain, separated by firewalls.

A small business deployment, on the other hand, will typically have a relatively small number of users and significantly less email traffic. Frequently, there will be no full-time IT department to configure and maintain an Email Router deployment.

Avoid mailbox storage problems

Every organization has its own unique requirements for email message routing and storage. To avoid problems that can result from overtaxing your system's storage capacity, consider the following when you plan an Email Router deployment:

• All email messages

• Email messages in response to Microsoft Dynamics CRM email

• Email messages from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Leads, Contacts, and Accounts

• Email messages from Microsoft Dynamics CRM records that are email enabled

For more information, see Email message filtering and correlation in this guide.

• What storage quotas should be applied to each mailbox? For more information about how to apply mailbox storage quotas and managing automated messages that are sent to mailbox owners when their size limit is exceeded, see the documentation for your email system.

• How long should email messages be stored? For more information about automatically archiving or deleting email messages, see the documentation for your email system.

Like server-side synchronization and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router lets you track Dynamics CRM-related information automatically. The email tracking functionality in the Email Router operates in the manner described in the Email message filtering and correlation topic. The Email Router also lets you send and receive emails through Microsoft Dynamics CRM (online).

See Also

Email Router
Integrate (synchronize) your email system with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Set up Email Router

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