How to Set Up Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS)

Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) is a native API built by Microsoft that allows server/client applications to integrate with Exchange Servers and Office 365. Connecting SalesLoft to Office 365 or Exchange Server through Microsoft’s EWS API allows access to calendars and emails.

In this article, we will guide you through setting up the SalesLoft native Microsoft EWS integration for connecting to Exchange Server. Please work with your internal IT team to complete the setup (or send them this article and they can take care of everything for you!)

This will be a step-by-step guide in the following order:

1. Test the Exchange Server Connection
2. Whitelist SalesLoft IP Addresses
3. Enable TLS 1.1 or Higher
4. Enable Autodiscover on the Exchange Server
5. Enable Exchange HTTP Protocol (EXPR) as an Outlook Provider
6. Put the Autodiscover Domain as the Hostname 
7. (Optional) Set Up Microsoft Exchange via Service Account

Once these steps have been completed, each SalesLoft user can in one of the following ways:

• Connect to standard Microsoft EWS
• Connect to Microsoft EWS via service account. For more information on service accounts, see step 7.

Test the Exchange Server Connection

We recommend that any customers migrating to the SalesLoft native Microsoft EWS integration test their Exchange Server connection using Microsoft’s remote Connectivity Analyzer.

https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com/tests/exchange

The test will result in a successful or failed connection. 

Successful Connection

If the test is successful, there is a high probability that you will be able to connect using SalesLoft’s native Microsoft EWS integration.

Failed Connection

If you encounter an error, check the error message for additional information to help guide you through the tasks to reach a successful connection.

Whitelist SalesLoft IP Addresses

If your team blocks inbound communication to your Exchange Server, you (or your IT) need to whitelist SalesLoft IP addresses in order to connect to Microsoft EWS.

Things to Note: Whitelisting SalesLoft IP addresses is primarily for any customers with Exchange Servers that are behind a firewall that doesn’t allow outside connection.

IP Addresses to Whitelist

Reach out to your SalesLoft customer service representative to learn which region your team is in. Based on your region, whitelist the following IP addresses:

Enable TLS 1.1 or Higher

Confirm TLS 1.1 or higher is configured on your Exchange Server (2010,2013, 2016).

We have seen some evidence that customers using TLS 1.0 are more susceptible to experiencing connectivity challenges.

Things to Note: TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are deprecated. It is recommended that Microsoft Exchange users use TLS 1.2 or higher if possible. 

Enable Autodiscover on the Exchange Server

Enable autodiscover on your Exchange Server. 

To learn how to check if autodiscover is working correctly, find the Outlook section on this site. 

Things to Note: This also checks if EXPR is enabled (see below).

Enable Exchange HTTP Protocol (EXPR) as an Outlook Provider

Enable Exchange HTTP protocol (EXPR) as an Outlook provider.

SalesLoft uses autodiscover to determine the EWS API location for the Exchange Server. The autodiscover file must have Outlook Anywhere RPC over HTTP (EXPR) enabled.

Put the Autodiscover Domain as the Hostname

In the event that your autodiscover domain is different from your mail domain (e.g. the mail domain is example.com but the autodiscover is at ec3.example.com), when you are connected to EWS in SalesLoft put the autodiscover domain as the hostname.

For example, in the image below, the hostname field is where you would put the autodiscover domain.

Set Up Microsoft Exchange via Service Account

A service account is an account that is created to provide a security context for services running on Windows operating systems. Within SalesLoft, service accounts may be used to provide a single source of credentials to connect to Microsoft EWS email servers. 

An admin configures SalesLoft to use a service account to connect to their company Microsoft Exchange Server via EWS. Once the setup is complete, your users will be able to connect to their Microsoft EWS email securely, without using their personal login credentials. 

To setup Microsoft Exchange via a service account, follow these steps: 

1. Create a service account in Microsoft. The service account needs full access, impersonation, and send as access to each user inbox and calendar.
2. Once the service account is setup, a team admin will complete the process in SalesLoft.
3. From the SalesLoft platform, go to the Team Settings. Under the Communication section, select the Email tab to go to the Team Email page. 
4. Scroll to the Microsoft Exchange EWS Service Account section. Click Edit. The EWS Service Account module will appear. 
5. Select how EWS will access the inbox from one of the following options:
   • Impersonation
     • Things to Note: Impersonation is recommended for larger teams as delegation requires permissions for each delegate.
   • Delegation.
6. Enter the following information from your service account credentials: 
   • Service Account Username
   • Service Account Password
   • Either a hostname or EWS URL is required:
     
     • Hostname: If you enter the Hostname without EWS URL, we will use Microsoft autodiscover to find the EWS URL. 
     • EWS URL: If you enter an EWS URL, SalesLoft will not use Microsoft's autodiscover to find the EWS URL. 
   • Accessible Email Address: Enter an email address your service account can access.
     
     • Things to Note: This address will only be used to test the connection to your Exchange Server and will not be saved.
7. Click Save.