Mimecast Essentials for Outlook - Overview

This article contains information on Mimecast Essentials for Outlook, including supported environments, deployment steps, authentication methods, application settings, and configuring connectors, enabling seamless integration and enhanced email management for users.

Mimecast Essentials for Outlook is an Office Add-in for Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to Report Messages, Manage Senders, and Manage Held Messages.

If a Non-administrator attempts to access Managed Senders in Mimecast Essentials for Outlook, they are subject to the Same IP range restrictions as entered in your Account | Settings.

Reporting a Message

Administrators can trace reports from the Mimecast Administration Console, under Audit Logs. See Filtering Audit Logs for more information.

When a message is reported to Mimecast, it will automatically trigger the following actions:

• The message is moved to your Junk Email folder in Microsoft Outlook.
• The Sender of the message is added to your Blocked Senders list.
• The message is forwarded to the Mimecast Security Team for analysis.
• For Mimecast Emil Incident response (MEIR) customers, following an investigation, if the email is found malicious, the email will be remediated, and the reporter will receive a response.

Reporting a Message on Windows OS / macOS

You can report a message using Windows or Mac OS by using the following steps:

1. Select the Message from your Inbox.
2. Click on one of the available reporting buttons. 

3. Click on the Report Message home button. If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-up will prompt you to log in.
4. Click on Report in the confirmation dialog.

5. A confirmation dialog is displayed. 

Reporting a Message on the Web

You can report a message using Outlook on the Web, by using the following steps:

1. Select the Message from your Inbox.
2. Click on one of the available reporting buttons (see above).
3. From the drop-down menu, select one of the available reporting options.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.
4. A confirmation dialog is displayed.
5. Click on Report in the confirmation dialog. 

Reporting a Message on Mobile

You can report a message using Outlook on Mobile, by using the following steps:

1. Select the Message from your Inbox.
2. Click on the report icon in the message header.
3. Select either Report Spam or Report Phishing from the menu.

4. Click on  Report in the confirmation dialog.
5. A confirmation dialog is displayed.

Managed Senders

The Manage Senders feature allows you to manage your list of addresses and domains in Mimecast Essentials for Outlook. This includes addresses and Domains that are blocked, permitted, trusted, and automatically allowed. The functionality also allows you to:

• Filter entries
• Add entries
• Delete entries
• Move entries

Accessing Manage Senders on Desktop Outlook

You can access Managed Senders on your desktop, by using the following steps:

1. Click on the Manage Senders icon displayed on the Microsoft Outlook ribbon.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.
2. Select the senders' lists to manage from the side panel.

Accessing Manage Senders on Outlook on the Web

You can access Manage Senders on the Web, by using the following steps:

1. Select the Message from your Inbox.
2. Click on the Mimecast icon in the message header.
3. Select Manage Senders from the drop-down menu.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.
4. Select the senders' lists to manage from the side panel.

Accessing Manage Senders on Mobile

Add-ins on Mobile are only currently supported by Microsoft on Exchange Online mailboxes.

You can access Manage Senders on your Mobile, by using the following steps:

1. Select the Message from your Inbox.
2. Click on the Three Dot Icon in the message header.
3. Select Manage Senders icon from the menu.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.​
4. Select the senders' lists to manage from the side panel.

Filtering Address and Domain Entries

You can filter your Filtering Address and Domain entries, by using the following steps:

1. Select one of the lists: 

•  
  • Blocked
  • Permitted
  • Auto Permitted

2. Either:

•  
  • Click on the Magnifying Glass Icon to search the list for specific entries.
  • Use the icon to filter the list by either email address / domain.

Adding Address / Domain Entries to a List

You can add address / domain entries to Managed Senders, by using the following steps:

1. Click the Plus icon.
2. Enter a valid email address or Domain.
3. Depending on the senders' list you are managing, select either:

•  
  • Click Block.
  • Click Permit. 

Deleting Address / Domain Entries

You can delete addresses and domains from Managed Senders, by using the following steps:

1. Click on the entry to be deleted.
2. Click on the Three Dots icon.
3. Click Remove.

Moving an Address / Domain Entry

You can move addresses and domains to other lists within Managed Senders(when applicable), by using the following steps:

1. Click on the entry to be moved to another list.
2. Click on the Three Dots icon.
3. Depending on the senders' list you are managing, either:

•  
  • Click Block.
  • Click Permit. 

Blocking / Permitting a Sender

You can block or permit a sender when viewing an email, by using the following steps: 

1. Click on the Managed Senders icon.
2. Click on the Plus icon.
3. Select the required action.

Managing On Hold Queues

Messages are placed On Hold due to security policies defined by the Administrator. There are Two On Hold queues. Both allow you to view the Held Message, and decide whether to release or reject them.

• Personal On Hold: Available to end users and displays all a user's held messages.

• Moderated On Hold: Available to Mimecast Administrators or a designated overseer
  • If used by an administrator, it displays the held messages for all users
  • If used by a designated overseer (e.g., a Personal Assistant responsible for a Director's email), it displays their held messages 

Before rejecting or releasing messages, you can block or permit email addresses/domains. If reporting a message as Spam, the message is not Released from the On Hold queue.

Accessing On Hold queues on Desktop Outlook

You can access the On Hold queues in Outlook on Desktop, by using the following steps: 

1. Click on the On Hold icon displayed on the Microsoft Outlook ribbon.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.
2. Select the held message queue to manage from the side panel.

Accessing On Hold queues using Outlook on the Web 

You can access the On Hold queues in Outlook on the Web, by using the following steps: 

1. Select the Message in your Inbox.
2. Click on the Mimecast icon in the message header.
3. Select the On Hold option from the drop-down menu.
   If not authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out will prompt you to log in.
4. Select the held message queue to manage from the side panel.

Accessing On Hold queues using Outlook on Mobile

Currently, add-ins on Mobile are only supported by Microsoft on Exchange Online mailboxes.

You can access On Hold queues on Mobile, by using the following steps: 

1. Select the message from your Inbox.
2. Click on the icon in the message header.

3. Select On Hold from the drop-down menu.

   If you're not currently authenticated with Mimecast, a Microsoft pop-out window will appear for you to log in.

4. Select the held message queue you want to manage from the side panel.

Using the On Hold Viewer

Users can search On Hold queues by using the icon in the top ribbon of Outlook. In addition, the actions used to manage Held Messages can be seen by clicking on the icon to the right of each message. 

Messages can also be previewed within the side panel, and actions are available from the top ribbon:

Available Message Actions

Available actions for the Personal On Hold Queue: 

Action	Results
Release Email	The email is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. Mimecast may hold future emails from the Sender.
Release Email and Permit Email  Address	The message is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. A Permitted Senders entry is created for the Sender's email address, meaning future messages from the Sender are delivered straight to your Inbox.
Release Email and Permit Domain	The message is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. A Permitted Senders entry is created for the Sender's Domain, meaning future messages are delivered straight to your Inbox.
Reject	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. Future emails from this Sender may be held.
Reject and Block Sender's Email Address	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. A Blocked Senders entry is created for the Sender's email address, meaning they cannot send you messages in the future.
Reject and Block Domain	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. A Blocked Senders entry is created for their Domain, meaning any sender from that Domain cannot send you messages in the future.
Report as Spam (available when previewing a message)	The Sender is added to your blocked sender's list. The message is forwarded to the Mimecast Security Team for analysis.
Report as Phishing (available when previewing a message)	The Sender is added to your blocked sender's list. The message is forwarded to the Mimecast Security Team for analysis.

Available Actions for the Moderated On Hold Queue:

• Release
• Reject
• Forward
• Report as Spam (available when previewing message)
• Report as Phishing (available when previewing message)

Settings 

Setting your Language

Mimecast Essentials for Outlook will automatically display the side panel content in the languages listed here based on the local language set in Outlook. If the local is not supported, English (US) will be used by default. Users can select their preferred language using the Settings icon. 

Collecting Logs

If you experience issues with Mimecast Essentials for Outlook, you may be asked to supply the logs to Mimecast Support.You can send logs, by using the following steps:

1. Click Report Message in Outlook. 
2. Click on the Settings gear icon on the Report Message panel.
3. On the Settings screen, click on the Copy Logs to Clipboard button.

4. The logs are now ready to be pasted into an email to our support team.

Mimecast Essentials for Outlook Deployment

Mimecast Essentials for Outlook is an Office Add-in compatible with Microsoft Outlook on desktops (Windows and Mac), web (Office 365 and Outlook.com), and mobile devices. It enables users to report messages, manage senders, and handle held messages. 

Action	Results
Release Email	The email is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. Mimecast may hold future emails from the Sender.
Release Email and Permit Email  Address	The message is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. A Permitted Senders entry is created for the Sender's email address, meaning future messages from the Sender are delivered straight to your Inbox.
Release Email and Permit Domain	The message is removed from the viewer and is delivered to your Inbox. A Permitted Senders entry is created for the Sender's Domain, meaning future messages are delivered straight to your Inbox.
Reject	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. Future emails from this Sender may be held.
Reject and Block Sender's Email Address	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. A Blocked Senders entry is created for the Sender's email address, meaning they cannot send you messages in the future.
Reject and Block Domain	The message is removed from the viewer. The Sender is not notified. A Blocked Senders entry is created for their Domain, meaning any sender from that Domain cannot send you messages in the future.
Report as Spam (available when previewing a message)	The Sender is added to your blocked sender's list. The message is forwarded to the Mimecast Security Team for analysis.
Report as Phishing (available when previewing a message)	The Sender is added to your blocked sender's list. The message is forwarded to the Mimecast Security Team for analysis.

See Also...

• Mimecast Essentials for Outlook - Configuration