Aliases and Shared Email Addresses

While Earlham doesn't allow shared accounts due to IT security compliance, we have several options for getting the same functionality depending on the desired workflow and function.

1. An email alias can be created to deliver an individual copy of the email to one or more people. This is helpful if more than one person needs to read the email, but it doesn't matter if the others have seen it or not. It can also be helpful for a single person who wants an email address for a service or process that they are currently in charge of but might shift to someone else later.
   
   

2. Another option is to share a Zimbra mail folder with everyone who needs access to that folder's email. A Zimbra filter can be used to move any new email into this shared folder to automate the process. A shared folder lets everyone who has access see if the email has been read by someone or not. It also allows the folder owner to change who has access (including the access level) to the mail in their folder as needed.
   
   

3. We also offer a variant of #1 and #2 by pointing an alias to a shared system-level folder. This also makes it so that everyone has access to the same email and its read/unread status, but the email doesn't exist in a user's account. The users who have admin-level access to the folder can still control who the Zimbra mail folder is shared with. This option can be helpful for emails that might impact a user's quota or if the historical emails need to be accessible to a committee or group which changes membership. Both this and option #2 allow someone who has recently gained access to the email folder to see all of the older emails.
   
   

4. Mailman mailing lists are another option. This option allows for greater control of who gets the emails and who can send emails to the email address (open or closed mailing list). The mailing list owners have complete control over the members and how the list functions.
   
   

5. If the email is a report that only has an attachment, another option would be to use Box. One of Box's features is to create an email address that can be used to deliver an email's attachment directly into the Box folder. We can still create an email alias for the Box-generated email address as they are long and hard to type. Details on how to enable this on a Box folder can be found here.

If you'd like any of these to be set up for you or have questions about the details, please Contact Us.