Essential Reading for the Microsoft 365 integration
The Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration enables users to create and manage bookings through Microsoft Outlook while keeping calendars synchronized with Eptura Engage. Because the integration relies on Microsoft Exchange and Outlook behavior, certain interfaces, configurations, and booking scenarios can affect synchronization and are subject to defined limitations.
To ensure reliable operation, it is important to understand the unsupported Exchange features and incompatibilities with Eptura Engage.
Contents
- Best practices - To ensure a successful integration, it is important to consider the best practices, behaviors, and limitations outlined here.
- Exchange room calendar integration options - Compare the 2 options for linking Exchange mailboxes with Eptura resources
- Behaviors and limitations when integrated with Microsoft 365 ↗️
- Behaviors and limitations when using the Eptura Engage Outlook add-in (for end-users) ↗️
Best practices
The Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration allows Microsoft Exchange rooms and equipment mailboxes to be associated with Eptura Engage meeting space resources so that bookings can be synchronized.
To ensure a successful integration, it is important to consider the best practices, behaviors, and limitations outlined below.
- Best practice for initial setup and room mapping
- Best practice for general administration
- Best practice for users
2. Best practice for general administration
2.1 Unmapping and remapping Exchange rooms to Eptura Engage resources
Unmapping and remapping Exchange rooms with Eptura Engage resources might cause calendars to become out of sync. Contact Support if you need to unmap and remap an Exchange room with an Eptura Engage resource, even if you are remapping the same room and resource.
2.2 Do not update the email address of an existing mapped room
Updating the email address of an Exchange room that is already mapped to an Eptura Engage resource is not supported. Contact Support for further advice if you need to change the email address of a mapped room.
2.3 Communicate room mapping to users
If some of your Exchange rooms are not mapped (the Exchange equipment mailbox might be added to the Eptura Engage resource settings, or a room might not be associated with Eptura at all) then we recommend keeping users informed so they understand which rooms can be booked using Eptura Engage apps and which cannot be directly invited from a Microsoft calendar event.
2.4 Hide Exchange equipment mailboxes added to Resource settings (not mapped)
Mapping Exchange rooms to Eptura Engage resources is the preferred and recommended configuration for the Eptura Engage Microsoft 365 integration, however, if you have added Exchange equipment mailboxes to the Eptura Engage resource settings instead, then we recommend hiding these rooms from the Global Address List (GAL) to help prevent users from inviting the Exchange room manually.
2.5 Third-party devices connected to Exchange
If using third-party room screen devices connected to Microsoft Exchange, to start, check-in, end, and extend bookings, you must ensure that automatic meeting progression is disabled for the meeting space. Meeting progression is set in Group admin. Learn more: Configure a group for meeting spaces
3. Best practice for users
Exchange room calendar integration options
Eptura Engage offers two methods for connecting your meeting space resources with Microsoft Exchange calendars. Both options are explained below to help you determine which approach is best for your organization.
- Option 1: Link to the Exchange room/equipment mailbox
- Option 2: Exchange room mapping (full synchronization)
- Compare options 1 and 2
Option 1: Link to the Exchange room/equipment mailbox
This method creates a one-way link between the Microsoft Exchange mailbox and the Eptura Engage resource.
Method: The Eptura Engage meeting space resource is configured with the email address of the corresponding Exchange room or equipment mailbox, in the Eptura Engage Resource Admin settings.
How It works
When you link an Exchange room or equipment mailbox to an Eptura Engage meeting space resource:
- Booking from Eptura Engage with 'Add to Outlook' selected: The event is created on the user's Outlook calendar and the Exchange room/equipment mailbox is invited.
- Booking from Eptura Engage without selecting 'Add to Outlook': The booking is created in Eptura Engage only - no associated event is created in Exchange.
- Booking in Exchange room (either invited or directly created): The event is created in Exchange only - Eptura Engage has no visibility of this booking.
Key benefit
- Supports both room mailboxes and equipment mailboxes.
Key considerations
- No automatic synchronization.
- No accurate real-time availability checking against the Exchange calendar.
- Calendars might show different availability if users book through different channels.
- Double-bookings are possible if the Exchange mailbox is not hidden from the Global Address List (GAL).
Best practice
To prevent double-bookings, we recommend hiding linked Exchange mailboxes from the Global Address List (GAL). This discourages users from booking the Exchange room directly through Microsoft Outlook's room finder tool.
When to use this option
- When you want users to manage room bookings primarily through Eptura Engage.
- When you don't require the Exchange calendar to reflect all Eptura Engage bookings.
- When using Exchange equipment mailboxes rather than Exchange room mailboxes.
- If you prefer a lighter integration without full calendar synchronization.
In summary: Link to the Exchange room/equipment mailbox from Resource admin if you want Eptura Engage to be your primary booking platform and don't need Microsoft Exchange to capture every booking. This is also your only option if you're working with Exchange equipment mailboxes.
Learn more: Configure meeting space resources
Option 2: Exchange Room Mapping (full synchronization)
This method provides true two-way synchronization between the Eptura Engage meeting space and the Exchange room calendar.
Method: The Exchange room mailbox is mapped with the corresponding Eptura Engage meeting space resource, using the Exchange room mapping module in Eptura Engage.
How It works
When you map an Eptura Engage meeting space resource with an Exchange room:
- Booking from Eptura Engage with 'Add to Outlook' selected: The event is created on the user's Outlook calendar with the Exchange room invited, and both the Eptura Engage and Exchange calendars stay in sync.
- Booking from Eptura Engage without selecting 'Add to Outlook': Eptura Engage creates an event directly in the Exchange room calendar to maintain synchronization.
- Booking directly in Exchange (invited from user calendar event): The booking is automatically created in Eptura Engage - no manual intervention required.
- Booking directly in Exchange (directly created in room calendar): The booking is automatically created in Eptura Engage - no manual intervention required.
Key benefits
- Full two-way synchronization between Eptura Engage and Exchange.
- Real-time availability checking across both systems.
- Calendars remain consistent regardless of where bookings originate.
- Exchange room mailboxes do not need to be hidden from the Global Address List (GAL).
Key consideration
- Supports Exchange room mailboxes only (not equipment mailboxes).
When to use this option
- To enable a full two-way synchronization between Eptura Engage resources and Exchange room mailboxes.
- To automatically create Eptura meeting space bookings when associated Exchange rooms are invited to events.
- When you don't want to hide Exchange rooms from the GAL.
In summary: Use Exchange room mapping if you need complete visibility of room bookings across both platforms, want to eliminate double-booking risks, and need users to book rooms natively from Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, or Eptura Engage.
Learn more: Exchange room mapping
Compare options 1 and 2
Compare options 1 and 2 side-by-side
Feature |
Option 1: Linked via Resource Admin |
Option 2: Mapped via Exchange room mapping |
| Synchronization | One-way (Eptura Engage to Microsoft Exchange) | Two-way |
| Availability checking | Eptura Engage only | Both systems |
| Exchange only bookings visible in Eptura Engage | No | Yes |
| Supports equipment mailboxes | Yes | No |
| Calendars always in sync | No | Yes |
| Requires hiding rooms from GAL | Recommended | Not required |