Notification Sets - Configuring Notification Sets

This article contains information on configuring Mimecast Notification Sets policies, including customizing notifications for email events, setting up definitions, modifying notification content, and applying policies to specific users or groups.

The Notification Sets policy allows you to customize the notifications generated by Mimecast for certain email delivery events. If no policy is configured, our default notifications apply. You can specify which notifications apply to different end users and user groups. Some examples include:

• Notifying users when a message:
  • Has been modified (e.g., stripped attachments).
  • Did not complete delivery (e.g., bounced or held).
• Entering a Help Desk telephone number in delivery failure or attachment stripping notifications.
• Adding additional text to a digest instructs recipients on its usage.
• Configuring Auto Response notifications.

Considerations

Consider the following before configuring a definition or policy:

• The Notification Sets are not based on how the email they take action on is set but rather on where the notification set is being sent. For example, an outbound notification sent to an external contact may not trigger the same policy and may have a different notification set applied.
• Where no configured policy matches, Mimecast will fall back to the default notification templates, which will have the original default settings compared to a customer's configured sets and branding.
• To customize notifications for a specific recipient, first copy / add the notifications to a dedicated notification set. This enables you to customize certain notifications before assigning them to the recipient.
• We recommend that your default notification sets are kept up to date.

Configuring a Notification Sets Definition

To configure a notification set definition:

1. Navigate to Policies | Gateway Policies. 
2. Click on the Definitions button.
3. Click on the Notification Sets definition type from the list.
4. Either:

• • Click on the New Notification Set button to create a new definition.
  • Click on the Notification Set to be configured.

5.   Complete the Notification Set Properties as follows:

Field / Option	Description
Description	Specify a name for the notification Set that helps you identify it when applying it in a policy.
Branding	If branding is part of your Mimecast subscription, click the Lookup button to select a branding set.
Preferred Language	Select the language to be used in the notifications. This only affects Targeted Threat Protect, Sync & Recover, and Continuity notifications.
User Message Only applicable to Targeted Threat Protection notifications.	Enter a custom message up to 512 ASCII characters. The message will be added to all Targeted Threat Protection notifications in scope that are applicable to the Notification Set policy. Simple HTML content is allowed in the User Message; however, note that any entry that includes HTML tags that are not allowed (e.g., script tags, empty div tags, anchor tag without target attribute, remove body tag, remove image tags) will be removed.

6. Click on the Save and Exit button.

Configuring a Notification

You can also configure a notification, allowing you to change HTML and plain text that forms part of your branding. To configure a notification:

1. Navigate to Policies | Gateway Policies.
2. Click on the Definitions button.
3. Select the Notification Sets definition type from the list.
4. Click on the Definition to be changed.
5. Click on the Notification to be changed.
6. Complete the Description and Properties section:

Field / Option	Description
Enabled	Either enables or disables the notification in the definition.
Description	Enter a description for the notification message.
Restore Default	Restores the default notification message text.

7. Complete the Subject and Sender section as required:

Field / Option	Description
Subject	Enter a subject for the notification message.
Original Sender	If selected, the [e-mail] address and display name are the sender details for the notification. If unselected, the default is [e-mail]. Once this is set, the notification should come from the original sender's email address instead of the generic Postmaster.
Rewrite Header and Envelope addresses	This feature is currently only available in Message Hold Digest Notifications.

8. Complete the Plain Text Body section. This allows you to amend the body of the notification used when the plain text version is transmitted. The version transmitted is dependent on the recipient MTA.

The plain text body section doesn't apply to attachment links, attachment blocks, message hold digest, and message digest row notifications. These notification types include hyperlink-orientated actions that cannot be included in a plain text format.

9. Complete the HTML Text section. This allows you to amend the body of the notification used when the HTML version is transmitted. The version transmitted is dependent on the recipient MTA.

Scripts and external CSS resources are not supported.

10. Click on the Save and Exit button.

Mimecast Variables

See the Notification Set Variables page for full details of the variables available to use with notification sets.

When amending the body of notification sets, you must leave some components unaltered as the notification relies on them. These are referred to as Mimecast Variables in the example below:

Configuring a Notification Sets Policy

To configure a Notification Sets policy:

1. Navigate to Policies | Gateway Policies menu item.
2. Click on Notification Sets.
3. Either select the:

• • Policy to be changed.
  • New Policy button to create a policy.

4. Complete the Options section as required:

Field / Option	Description
Policy Narrative	Describe the policy to allow you to identify it in the future easily.
Select Notification Set	Select the required Notification Set definition for the policy.

5. Complete the Emails From and Emails To sections as required:

Field / Option	Description
Addresses Based On	Specify the email address characteristics the policy is based on. This option is only available in the "Emails From" section. The options are: The Return Address (Mail Envelope From): This default setting applies the policy to the SMTP address match based on the message's envelope or true address (i.e., the address used during SMTP transmission). The Message From Address (Message Header From): This policy applies based on the masked address used in the message's header. Both: Applies the policy based on the Mail Envelope From or the Message Header From, whichever matches. When both match, the specified value of the Message Header From will be used.
Applies From / To	Specify the sender characteristics the policy is based on. You should apply multiple policies, from the most to the least specific. The options are: Everyone: Includes all email users (i.e., internal and external). This option is only available in the "Emails From" section. Internal Address: Includes only internal organization addresses. External Address: Includes only external organization addresses. This option is only available in the "Emails From" section. Email Domain: This enables you to specify a domain name to which this policy is applied. The domain name is entered in the Specifically field. Address Groups: This enables you to specify a directory or local group. If this option is selected, click the Lookup button to select a group from the Profile Group field. Once a group has been selected, click the Show Location field to display the group's path. Address Attributes: This enables you to specify a predefined Attribute. The attribute is selected from the Where Attribute drop-down list. Once the Attribute is specified, an attribute value must be entered in the Is Equal To field. This can only be used if attributes have been configured for user accounts. Individual Email Address: This enables you to specify an SMTP address. The email address is entered in the Specifically field.

6. Complete the Validity section as required:

Field / Option	Description
Enable / Disable	Use this to enable (default) or disable a policy. Disabling the policy allows you to prevent it from being applied without having to delete or backdate it. Should the policy's configured date range be reached, it is automatically disabled.
Set Policy as Perpetual	Specifies that the policy's start and end dates are set to "Eternal," meaning the policy never expires.
Date Range	Specify a start and end date for the policy. This automatically deselects the "Eternal" option.
Policy Override	Select this to override the default order that policies are applied. If there are multiple applicable policies, this policy is applied first unless more specific policies of the same type have also been configured with an override.
Bi-Directional	If selected, the policy also applies when the policy's recipient is the sender and the sender is the recipient.
Source IP Ranges (n.n.n.n/x)	Enter any required Source IP Ranges for the policy. These only apply if the source IP address used to transmit the message data falls inside or matches the range(s) configured. IP ranges should be entered in CIDR notation.

7. Click on the Save and Exit button.

See Also...

• • • Managing Notification Sets
    • Notification Set Variables
    • Notification Reference List