Server-Side for Microsoft Exchange

Server-side signatures are applied post-send by WiseStamp's cloud service, ensuring consistency across all devices and email clients. This is ideal for multi-device users or those with different email platforms. This article describes how to configure your Exchange Server to support WiseStamp’s server-side solution. The configuration must be done by a Microsoft global admin and can be done either automatically with Microsoft Exchange REST API-based PowerShell (recommended) or manually.

!note!This article focuses on the Microsoft Exchange server-side connection. If you are looking to connect WiseStamp with Google Workspace, see Server-Side for Google Workspace.!/note!

What is a server-side solution?

WiseStamp's server-side solution is a deployment method that enables you to route your organization's emails through the WiseStamp SMTP server to automatically append signatures to your outgoing messages. WiseStamp's server-side solution ensures a consistent, professional signature for all emails, with no need for extra apps or add-ons. Just some email server configuration. It also ensures the newest signature versions are always used.

How do I benefit by using WiseStamp's server-side solution?

The server-side solution applies your WiseStamp signatures to email messages sent from any device and any mail client. You can therefore ensure consistency and professionalism across all outgoing emails, regardless of which email platform is used to compose them. Furthermore, the server-side solution does not require any additional apps, add-ons, or other changes to your WiseStamp environment. (Some configuration of your email server is necessary.)

Another advantage of the server-side solution is the certainty that the latest changes to your signatures is displayed, as the WiseStamp server-side host checks to ensure that the most recent signatures are added to outgoing messages.

Is server-side secure?

Yes. WiseStamp's method is secure, without storing or reading your email content. Each account is processed in isolation for added security.

What's Hybrid Mode?

WiseStamp's Hybrid mode combines client-side and server-side solutions, offering flexibility. It only applies a server-side signature if a client-side one isn't detected, ensuring consistent delivery and security. It's available for various automatic installations.

Automatic configuration

We recommend using automatic server-side configuration to avoid errors due to misspelled entries, etc. 

To perform an automatic configuration, log into your WiseStamp account and go to Connectors and click Connect for Outlook. Make sure you select the Automatically option, and then follow the prompts.

Following successful configuration, your domain is displayed in the Server connection section.

Post configuration procedures

We recommend that you perform these additional procedures after the server-side configuration to help ensure maximum efficiency and security.

Configuring your SPF record

For protection against spoofing and phishing and to help prevent your messages from being marked as spam, we recommend adding Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records to your domain.

For more information and instructions, see Setting Up SPF Records for Your WiseStamp Signature.

Managing domains in Microsoft Exchange

Domains affected by WiseStamp's server-side solution are determined by how you set up the transport rule in Exchange. The following sections guide you through the steps required to modify the rule to include or exclude domains. 

Including domains

If you previously excluded a domain and now want to include it, follow these steps to update the transport rule:

1. Log in to your Exchange admin center using administrator credentials.
2. Go to Mail flow > Rules.
3. Locate the rule named Identify messages to send to WS SMTP and click it to open its settings.
   Then, click Edit Rule Conditions.
4. Locate the condition that specifies the sender and domain is for the domain you want to include.
5. Delete this condition by clicking the Trash icon next to it. This ensures that emails from this domain will be routed through WiseStamp SMTP and have signatures attached.
6. To apply your changes, click Save.

Excluding domains

When you need to exclude certain domains from the server-side process, follow these steps: 

1. Log in to your Exchange admin center using administrator credentials.
2. Go to Mail flow > Rules.
3. Locate the rule named Identify messages to send to WS SMTP and click it to open its settings.
   Then, click Edit Rule Conditions.
4. Under Apply this rule if, click + to add a new condition.
5. In the And section, open the dropdown list on the left and select Select one.
6. In the Except if section, configure the following settings: 
   a. From the dropdown list on the left,  select The sender. 
   b. From the list on the left, select domain is.
7. In the window that open, enter the domain(s) to be excluded and click Add.
   Then, at the bottom of the window, click Save.
8. To apply your changes, click Save.

Troubleshooting server-side configuration issues

The following sections provide guidelines to help handle issues that may occur with server-side configuration.

Server-side connection errors

Sometimes connection errors can prevent your emails from being sent or your signature from appearing in your emails. In such cases, disconnecting and reconnecting your WiseStamp account can resolve the issue. 

To disconnect from the server: 

1. Open your WiseStamp account.
2. On the left panel, click Connectors.
3. Click Manage on the Connectors page.
4. At the upper right corner of the page, click Disconnect. 
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm the disconnection and complete the process. 

To reconnect:

1. Go to the Connectors page.
2. Click Connect for Outlook.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the connection process.

Two WiseStamp signatures showing

If you see two signatures at the bottom of your email, it's likely that you have a manually installed signature (copy/paste).  WiseStamp cannot recognize manually installed signatures, so they cannot be automatically removed or overwritten. To avoid having duplicate signatures, simply reinstall or remove your copy/paste signature.

Mails not being sent

In rare circumstances, you may encounter a critical issue where your emails are not going through. In such cases, you may need to disable the routing rule in MS Exchange until further investigation with WiseStamp support team. Disabling the routing rule ensures that your emails bypass WiseStamp's servers, allowing them to be delivered without any interference.

To disable the routing rule:

1. Log into the Exchange Admin Center and go to Mail flow > Rules.
2. On the Rules page, click in the row of the Identify messages to send to WS SMTP rule.
3. At the top of the pane that opens, under Enable or disable rule, click the toggle to change the status to Disabled.

Please note that as long as the rule is disabled, all emails will bypass WiseStamp's server, even those that may have been previously routed through it. You may need to re-enable the rule at a later time to resume signature deployment.