The Limitations Of OWA Over The Outlook 2010 Client

There are many differences and limitations over using the Outlook Web App compared with the full version of the Outlook 2010 client. This is due to the fact OWA is purely a web based solution to accessing your E-mail over the internet. That’s not to say it doesn’t have some great features. It is currently the most advanced version of OWA that Microsoft have released and is a great alternative to a thick Client and one of the best internet based E-mail solutions on the Market.

Outlook Web App now supports more than just Internet Explorer for Windows. It also adds to its list Safari for the Apple Mac, FireFox for various operating systems (including Windows, Mac, and Linux), and Google Chrome.

Outlook Web App for Exchange 2010 includes many features of outlook 2010 such as Conversation View, Mail tips, Integrated Instant Messaging. It also includes many traditional features such as E-mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, configuration Options, Out Of office rules and spell checking.

Below are a list of the main features that you won’t find in OWA but are supported fully within Outlook 2010.

Delegate Access

The current version of Outlook Web App will not let you delegate permissions for other colleagues to view your Mailbox. You can share your calendar (setting permissions as high as reviewer only) and open a colleagues calendar/mailbox. Additional permissions to the calendar and Mailbox are administered from the full Outlook client and cannot be controlled through OWA.

Working offline

An important difference is that Microsoft Outlook allows users to work with e-mail, calendars, etc., even when a network connection is unavailable, whereas OWA requires a network connection to function. There is no option to work offline utilising cached information.

Messaging Options

Messages can’t be sent for deferred delivery or set to expire in OWA. You do have the basic additional tracking options allowing you to request and read a delivery receipt as well as control the importance and sensitivity of each E-mail.

Rules Limitation

There is a limit to the rules that can be set up regarding how you control your mail being received and sent. The full outlook client contains many more options in this field.

Pop Ups

Meeting reminders in OWA can be missed by not being within the Outlook Web Application the time of the reminder.  If you are using a different program or within a different web browser tab at the time of the reminder popping up, you will not see it until you go back into the tab where OWA is running.  The pop up stays within the OWA window and not as an additional windows pop up.  A sound by default is set to play when you receive a reminder so by not muting your sound on your pc, this can be a helpful aid.

Additional Mailboxes 

Within OWA you can only have one mailbox open at a time. Therefore, if you regularly access a shared mailbox, for example,  you will need to open an additional mailbox but you will not be able to use your Mailbox and the Shared Mailbox simultaneously.

Page last modified on 12 sep 12 10:52