Definition and Billing of User Types

Description

Managing Users in the Console is a fundamental administrative task that can have direct effects on functionality and billing. This article describes the various User Types found in the Console, what they mean, and how they are typically used.

NOTE: The term 'Manual addition of user' refers to adding a new user account to the Console by clicking the Add User button or importing from a CSV file. Please read Step 2: Adding Users for more detailed information.

This article discusses the following topics:

  • Users
  • User Type

This article relates to the following tools:

  • Management Console
  • Mailprotector hosted email (CloudMail)
  • Office 365 and G Suite User Sync
  • LDAP User Sync
  • Address Discovery

Where to Find User Type

When managing users from either the Domain or Group level, you will see the list of users organized with several columns of information. One of those columns is labeled 'Type,' as shown in Figure 1.

Fig.1

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As you drill down into a user and view the Settings by clicking the ellipse icon on the right (shown in Figure 2), you will find a drop-down list on the 'User Details' tab containing the User Type list as shown in Figure 3.

Fig.2

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Fig.3
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How User Type is Assigned

A user type is assigned when the username is created. The default user type of 'User' is assigned when a new user is manually created in the Console. If you are using LDAP User Sync, the user type will be assigned based on the email type provisioned on the server. User Sync with Office 365 and G Suite will also automatically assign the user type.

When Address Discovery is configured for a Group, the newly added user type will be 'Discovered User.'

NOTE: CloudMail accounts will be created as a User, but there may be a reason to change the user type to 'Mailing List' under certain circumstances. Please read User Types Described below for more information.

User types can be manually adjusted in the Console at any time by a manager with permission to manage the domain. However, if User Sync is enabled on the Group, the user type will be reverted by the reported type from the User Source.

The intention and design of User Sync is to provide a single point of management that occurs at the Active Directory, O365/G Suite, or LDAP server. If a manual change is made to a User in a Group with User Sync enabled, the next synchronization will update the user type to match the object type reported by the User Source.

User Types Described

Each user type has an administrative and billing purpose. The descriptions below will explain when the user type is used and what provisioning methods may apply that type as a default.

  • User - Billable
    • The User type is the most common user type for any email address associated with a human user. The 'User' type is assigned to a person's mailbox and may contain alias addresses.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • Manual addition of user
      • Mailprotector hosted mailbox (CloudMail)
      • Office 365 or G Suite user synced mailbox
      • LDAP user synced mailbox
  • Discovered User - Billable
    • The Discovered User type is unique and only assigned to Groups configured for Address Discovery. An address that returns a positive response from the mail host to the Address Discovery process will add the user to the Group and set the type to Discovered User. The discovery process does not discern whether it is an alias, a shared mailbox, or any other kind of resource. Therefore all discovered addresses will be assigned the Discovered User type.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • Address Discovery
    • BEST PRACTICE: Address Discovery is meant to help seed the Console with valid email addresses associated with a domain. It is not a synchronization feature. Mailprotector recommends that Discovered User type accounts be manually adjusted to 'User,' another appropriate type, or deleted and made an alias of the proper primary email address.
  • Unlicensed User - Non-billable
    • The Unlicensed User type is applied to email addresses synced from Office 365 or G Suite that do not provide a detailed object description and are not a user mailbox. This user type can be applied to room, equipment, shared, or other resource type mailboxes.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • Office 365 shared/room/equipment/resource sync
      • G Suite shared/resource sync
  • Mailing List - Non-billable
    • Mailing list user types are typically used for distribution groups. A distribution group may be configured on an Exchange server, in Office 365 or G Suite, or a CloudMail user may be configured with forwarding rules. In either case, this account type typically does not act as a mailbox but rather a method to send messages to several users through a single email address.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • Office 365 distribution group sync
      • G Suite group syn
      • LDAP distribution group sync
    • BEST PRACTICE: When configuring a CloudMail mailing list, be sure to uncheck the option to save emails when forwarding. This will prevent the mailbox from reaching the storage quota and stop accepting new mail.
  • Shared - non-billable
    • A shared mailbox is configured just like a user mailbox, but multiple users are given full access and possibly 'Send As' permission to act as that shared mailbox. Traditional mailboxes that fit the shared user type are 'info,' 'sales,' and other group managed identities. The shared user type is rarely assigned manually.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • LDAP synchronized shared mailbox sync
  • Contact - non-billable
    • The Contact user type is typically used as an address book entry with information about an individual or resource outside your organization. The contact user type can also be useful for adding a non-functional email address, such as a 'no-reply' email address.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • Office 365 contact sync
      • LDAP contact sync
    • NOTE: Contacts may not show up in the Console user list if they are outside the protected organization. This prevents the user list from showing unfamiliar email addresses used by Exchange routing.
  • Room - non-billable
    • The room user type is used when an Exchange resource account is created. The account is typically used to manage the availability of the room through the Exchange calendar feature. The room user type is rarely manually assigned.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • LDAP synchronized room mailbox sync
  • Equipment - non-billable
    • Equipment mailboxes are typically created in Exchange to coordinate the use of equipment through the calendar feature. The user type is also a good fit for multi-function printers, scanners, and other devices that may send an email for notification or reporting purposes. The equipment user type is used similarly to the contact user type but helps to organize the difference between equipment and application emails.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • LDAP synchronized equipment mailbox sync
  • Public Folder - Non-billable
    • Public folders are created when a mail-enabled public folder is provisioned on an Exchange server. If the public folder is not mail-enabled, it will not show up in the Console. The public folder user type is rarely assigned manually.
    • Provisioned by default with:
      • LDAP synchronized mail-enabled public folder sync

If you have more questions regarding user types, their functionality, or an interest in additional best practices, please contact the Mailprotector Support team by selecting the "Submit a Request" button below or calling 1-800-393-4840 X2

Have more questions? Submit a request

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