EMS - Directory Services

• Name Directory
• Partial Name Addressing
• Pop-up Name Selection
• Automatic Path-of-Authority
• Point-and-Pick Addressing
• Hierarchical EMS ID

The controlling mechanism for a well-run electronic mail system is the directory. Without a robust directory, the burden is placed on the end user for correct and thorough addressing and routing information, which can impede the success of E-Mail within your organization.

Furthermore, as more and more electronic mail flows from within the enterprise to outside entities, directories must be advanced enough to manage additional information about recipients.

An E-Mail directory must do more than just contain relevant routing information about other users; it should provide a simple way for all users to address each other by their full first and last names, not some cryptic ID. It should provide a convenient way for users to send their E-mail messages to individual recipients or multiple recipients quickly and easily.

Features and Benefits

All EMS users are registered in a central name directory. EMS users don’t need to address each other by the 10-character EMS User ID. They can use a full or partial name to address a message.

If only a partial name is typed, the EMS name directory is invoked and a set of names matching the partial entry are presented for selection by the user. For example, if the sender doesn’t know the correct spelling of the last name, he can type only a portion of the first or last name in the TO: portion of the EMS message header to do a name look-up.

Many E-Mail messages involve sending information to a primary recipient with additional recipients receiving a copy (cc:) or occasionally a blind carbon copy (bcc:). As shown in Figure 2 below, the EMS name directory allows a sender to point-and-pick from the directory denoting any user as a primary, cc:, or bcc: recipient.

The EMS ID is flexible so that it can be matched to fit the organizational structure of your company. Used properly, the EMS ID can provide security and routing control for E-Mail functions that are predicated upon management or peer-level authorization. With this built-in "path-of-authority," neither the user nor the application need provide additional information logic for routing or security purposes.

EMS IDs are hierarchical in structure: three characters are used to indicate the user’s company, two characters each denote the division and department, and the final three characters specify the user.

This ability to segregate users by their specific division or department makes it easier to delegate E-Mail administration authority to organizational units that might be autonomous from each other.

The EMS ID structure is similar to X.400 addressing which specifies PRMD (company name), organizational units 1-4, and an individual long name. Both X.400 and EMS ID structures provide hierarchical information which can be used by mail-enabled applications to provide security and authentication.

For example, intelligent forms, To-do list assignments, and filing access all require a check for access rights. This is handled automatically by the EMS ID with its embedded path-of-authority.

Large organizations or companies that intend to provide messaging services to client companies as a service bureau will use the EMS Directory Partition option.

The EMS partitioned directory allows the EMS administrator to maintain a single global directory of users from multiple companies, while providing each user with a logical directory view of only those users in his/her organization. The users in any particular company will not see users from other companies listed in their directory.

For more information, contact your CASI representative.