At IU, using an outside ISP, why can't I connect to my Exchange account with Outlook or BlackBerry Desktop Manager?

For security reasons, UITS filters outside connections to Indiana University computers and servers. As a result, connection requests to the Exchange servers do not reach their destination. This can affect you if you use Outlook or handheld synchronization clients with your Exchange account via an outside Internet service provider (ISP).

To use Outlook or BlackBerry Desktop Manager on an outside ISP, you must first establish a VPN connection to the IU network; see The basics of VPN at IU. For assistance, contact your campus Support Center.

If you use Outlook 2003 or 2007, you can configure Outlook to use an alternate port, which will allow connections from off campus. For more information, see At IU, how do I configure Outlook to connect to Exchange using RPC over HTTP (Outlook Anywhere)?

BlackBerry Desktop Manager

Since the default installation option for Desktop Manager places a shortcut in your Windows Startup folder, you may need to remove that shortcut to keep Desktop Manager from trying to launch before you can establish a VPN connection; see In Windows, how can I prevent a program from starting automatically? Once you have established a VPN connection, you can then launch BlackBerry Desktop Manager from the Start menu.

Outlook

As an alternative to Outlook, you can use Outlook Web Access (OWA) without establishing a VPN connection. OWA is accessible at: https://www.exchange.iu.edu/

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