What are Exchange Web Services?
EWS (Exchange Web Services) is a way of accessing Outlook data directly via Microsoft Exchange and Office 365. This makes it ideal for server based applications to process Outlook data without requiring to be installed in Outlook, and with no need for a user interface. Microsoft created Exchange Web Services as their preferred method for external access to data on Microsoft Exchange.
EWS provides access to much of the same data that is made available through Microsoft Outlook. EWS clients can integrate and sychronize Outlook data directly with web based applications.
EWS can access all the data in Exchange – Email, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks. Folders can be monitored and Mailboxes accessed. A single agent account can be used to access multiple mailboxes so that security can be maintained.
Permissions can be granted to use ‘Delegation’ or ‘Impersonation’ access. Both can be easily set up by an Exchange Admin, or via the Office 365 hosted Exchange control panel. Exchange Impersonation is used in scenarios in which a single account needs to access many accounts. Delegate access is used when there needs to be a one-to-one relationship between users. A common application of delegate access is the sharing of calendars between users, such as when a handful of individuals need to coordinate or share calendars.
EWS Development
Davton have been developing solutions around Microsoft Outlook and Exchange for over 10 years. In that time we have seen Microsoft increase the available options for adding new features as custom projects, and we have developed a large number of Outlook add-ins.
Exchange Web Services (EWS) provides the functionality to enable client applications to communicate directly with the Exchange server – bypassing Outlook completely. EWS provides access to much of the same data that is made available through Microsoft OfficeOutlook. EWS clients can integrate and sychronize Outlook data directly with web based applications.
This opens up the opportunity for seamless integration with Exchange data – without the problems associated with managing Outlook plugins.
Exchange Web Services work equally well with On-Premise Exchange systems and Hosted Exchange systems – including Office 365. Indeed the rise of Office 365 and Outlook Web Access (OWA) – which has significant limitations on its ability to be customised – mean EWS provides a significant solution for integrating a web based application with Exchange.
Bespoke Exchange Web Service Development
If you have a requirement to synchronise your data with Office 365 or Exchange Systems, and you need an experienced EWS developer, we are available to create bespoke systems. Please contact me for an initial conversation. You can reach me on +44 1482 869891 or email at david@davton.com.