OWA Apps Could Eliminate Need for ActiveSync

Applications that wrap the Outlook Web App (OWA) browser interface to Exchange are available for Android and iOS devices. These applications deliver all the capabilities of OWA but can leverage more device capabilities, such as notifications and voice commands, than OWA can when accessed in a browser. The OWA applications also have capabilities missing from third-party messaging clients built on Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), which are used by most mobile users to connect to Exchange accounts. The applications may eliminate the need for EAS, but they do not support device management policies provided by EAS, and they typically require Exchange Online subscriptions.

More Functionality Through Controlled OWA Presentation

Exchange Server includes OWA, a Web application that provides a browser-based messaging client to Exchange users. Exchange Online (available by subscription with Office 365 or separately) users can also use OWA to access their e-mail accounts. OWA provides access to Exchange e-mail, contact, calendar, and task items. Although it supports a subset of the Outlook desktop client’s features, OWA has improved with each release of Exchange, and the OWA release included with Exchange 2013 nearly duplicates the Outlook feature set and user interface in a browser. Furthermore, Microsoft has begun introducing new Exchange-based features first to OWA users connecting to Exchange Online accounts.