Outlook for Android (Exchange functionality)

[quotas47]

Hi community!
I was hoping some of you could answer a question about Microsoft's Outlook for Android app.

I was unable to add my work email to the app through the Exchange option, which resulted in the Exchange system sending me an auto-response email with the following message:


Subject: Your mobile phone has been denied access to the server via Exchange ActiveSync because of server policies.
Your phone won't be able to synchronize with the server via Exchange ActiveSync because of an access policy defined on the server.


When I wrote in to our main IT group about this, they responded:


The issue with the Outlook app is a security compliance issue. Namely the app stores user credentials (userid and password) on Microsoft servers which violates policies and best practices. If Microsoft changes their design we are prepared to reconsider but until then, we must recommend other options.


I'm trying to verify if this is true, or if they're just stalling me. I and several of my coworkers have newer Android devices with the ancient native mail app, or no native mail app at all - some Motorola phones only have the Gmail app.

Despite what they said, true or not, the only other option would be a 3rd party developer's mail app, and I think they'd approve of that even less of course.
The company has almost completely stopped issuing mobile phones and instead began implementing a bring-your-own device policy to control cost.

So, can anyone tell me if the claim about the app storing credentials or anything on Microsoft servers is true, or is this just hot air?
Any other questions I should be asking?
How is this different than Google or iCloud backing up my phone settings to cloud servers that may contain passwords?


Thank you very much in advance,

Q

 

[Mr5oh]

I havent looked into it too much, but I would say they are storing things on the server side. When I update my phone and restore data for outllook from TitaniumBackup Outlook always knows and makes login in again. Usually if the password is store only on the device the restore would work without needing to log back in.

 

[13thmonkey]

you might be able to get in through an email client and OWA outlook webaccess. ask your IT people if they support you accessing through OWA.

 

[quotas47]

you might be able to get in through an email client and OWA outlook webaccess. ask your IT people if they support you accessing through OWA.

Well yeah, we have an owa page we can access, but that doesn't integrate the GAL, saved custom contacts, calendar or tasks to the phone like adding an account does. Our staff would kill me if I told them to log into owa through a mobile browser to continually check their calendar.

 

[13thmonkey]

No, you misunderstand, you can use an email app to access OWA safely (and therefore contacts etc.), not accessing OWA through web (which is for emergencies IMO).

You use the same server address for OWA and sign in details, check with IT first though.

 

[quotas47]

Here is the privacy policy my company is concerned about. Rather than routing the information to an Exchange server directly, it passes through the Acompli servers for "processing." https://www.acompli.com/privacy-policy/
Don't know why it has to, but it does.

I am going to write in to them for whatever explanation they can offer.
Appreciate all the responses thus far.

By the way,
The phone I'm talking about is the Motorola X Pure. It does not have a native email app.
The Gmail view is terrible for Exchange, hence I was hoping to use the Outlook app.
I haven't tried using the Outlook app by configuring for IMAP, but I will.

 

[IIIMETATRONIII]

im confused. if your company operates a BYOD policy surely they offer a facility to retrieve corporate mail? airwatch/good/mobileiron etc. all of these are acceptable as is using native activesync on your device which will not route via acompli. seems to me that they only have a problem with the outlook for android app not retrieving corporate mail on a device. perhaps you should clarify what they do offer instead. assuming thats what you are interested in rather than just privacy policies