O365 Resource Admin Tool

Office365 Resource Admin Tool This guide is a "How To" for staff & faculty. It describes the process for creating and modifying resource accounts, often referred to as "Shared Mailboxes".


Resource Account Basics

Resource Types

There are 3 types of resource accounts that can be created

  • Room
  • Equipment
  • Shared Mailbox

Access Permissions | Shared Mailbox

There are 3 levels of access to a resource account that can be granted to a user

TypeDescription
Full Access

Users with this permission can view the mailbox and calendar associated with the resource account. This does not allow the user to send messages from this mailbox. Consider this "read-only" access to the resource account.

Send AsUsers with this permission can send emails from the email address associated with the resource account.
Send on Behalf

Users with this permission can send emails via the email address associated with the resource account, with an additional detail noting which user wrote the content of the email, e.g., "john.doe@austin.utexas.edu on behalf of LAITS@austin.utexas.edu".

Manager Permissions

Additionally, individual users and/or distribution lists can be designated a Manager, which allows them to access the O365 Resource Admin Tool and modify that resource account. Depending on the type of resource account, this may appear as "Shared Mailbox Manager", "Room Resource Manager", or "Equipment Resource Manager".


How to create New Resource Accounts


Log into the Office 365 Resource Admin Tool https://www.austin.utexas.edu/O365AdminTools/Welcome

Contact LAITS if you're unable to access this URL

Process for Creating New Shared Mailbox

Resource Creation

  • Click the appropriate "Create / Delete" tool link for the requested resource type
    • "Create / Delete Shared" for a Shared Mailbox
    • "Create / Delete Room" for a Room resource
    • "Create / Delete Equipment" for a tool, equipment or gear.
  • In the Create / Delete Pane, begin by entering the desired email address and select the desired vanity domain from the dropdown menu (the default is @austin.utexas.edu).
  • Enter the requested Display Name for the new resource
  • In the "Resource Manager" field, enter your EID
  • Click the "Create" button to schedule the resource for creation

Resource Creation Processing Time

The creation process may take up to 30 minutes to complete, the resource account will be at least partially inaccessible during that time.

Process for Modifying Resource | Shared Mailbox

Modifying an Existing Resource Account

Add/Remove Users

Users can be granted permissions or have them revoked as needed.

  1. Click the appropriate "Modify" link for the type of the existing resource account
  2. Select the existing resource account from the list and click "Select Resource"
  3. If adding a new user or granting additional permissions for a user:
    1. Enter their EID in the text field near the bottom of "Mailbox Permissions"
    2. Click the corresponding "Add to" button for their requested access
      1. It will take a moment for the change to process, after which the page will refresh
    3. After the refresh, confirm that the user is now listed in the appropriate section of "Mailbox Permissions"
    4. Repeat this process for each access type requested for this user
  4. If removing a user or revoking specific permissions:
    1. In the "Mailbox Permissions" section, locate and select the user in the list corresponding to the specified access type
    2. Click "Remove User"
      1. It will take a moment for the change to process, after which the page will refresh
    3. After the refresh, confirm that the user is no longer listed for that access
    4. Repeat this process for each access type to be revoked for this user

Add LAITS to Managers so we can help you manage the resource

Add LAITS as a Shared Mailbox Manager

  1. Click the appropriate "Modify" tool link for the resource type
    1. Modify Shared
  2. Locate the Shared Mailbox from the list
    1. CTRL+F/CMD+F works best
  3. Click "Select Resource" and wait for the page to load
  4. Once the page has loaded, the details of the selected resource should now be displayed
  5. In the "Managers" section, enter the LAITS O365 Team, DL.LAITS.O365.Admins@austin.utexas.edu
  6. Click "Add Manager" and wait for the page to reload

Change Display Name

Modifying the display name of an existing resource account is trivial and can be done at any time.

  1. Click the appropriate "Modify" link for the type of the existing resource account
  2. Select the existing resource account from the list
  3. In the "Resource Display Name" or "Shared Mailbox Display Name" section, enter the desired display name
  4. Click "Save Display Name Changes"

Change Resource Account Email Address

We do not recommend changing the shared resource email address. This is a non-trivial change, and can ONLY be performed by the ITS Mail Team. It's easier to delete the shared mailbox & recreate it with a new address.

Room and Equipment Resource Options | Room Booking

Room Time Zone

Post creating: its important  to add yourself to the Full Access list for a Room. Then open it in OWA - Open another mailbox - Enter name of resource - Ok - open Settings for the Room and check the Time Zone. Its often incorrect. Set to Central Time US.


Room and equipment resources both have additional functionality related to calendaring. Namely, these are "Calendar Booking Options" and "Booking Delegates".

"Calendar Booking Options" include the following:

  • Default
    • All incoming calendar requests are added as "tentative", pending direct approval from the resource account login
  • Delegate Approval for all requests
    • All incoming calendar requests are added as "tentative", pending direct approval or approval by delegate
  • Delegate Approval only for out-of-policy requests
    • Incoming calendar requests that match the resource account's policies are added automatically; others require direct or delegate approval
  • Automatically Approve All
    • Incoming calendar requests are automatically approved on a first-come, first-served basis
  • Manual
    • No automatic processing will be performed for this calendar
  • This resource has custom settings

The "Booking Delegates" section allows individuals, added by EID, to perform the delegate functions described above.

Regarding Delegate Permissions

Any individuals added as Booking Delegates will need to also have Full Access permissions for the resource. Without this, they will be unable to see or interact with the resource's calendar.

Related Processes for Room and Equipment Calendars

Publishing Room | Equipment Resource Calendars

Room/equipment resources' calendars can also be "Published", which creates an HTML or ICS link to the calendar. This also publishes the calendar on the web and allows people who have the URL to view it live. 

To publish a resource account calendar:

  1. Login to OWA
  2. Click your name in the upper-right and choose "Open another mailbox"
  3. Enter the name of the resource, or its email address, and click "OK"
  4. When the mailbox has loaded, click the gear icon in the upper-right to open the "Settings" sidebar
  5. Search for "publish a calendar"
  6. In the dialog that appears, under "Publish a calendar", select the calendar you wish to publish from the dropdown menu
  7. Select the desired permissions for the published calendar
    1. Can view when I'm busy
    2. Can view titles and locations
    3. Can view all details
  8. Click "Publish", and wait a moment for the request to be completed
  9. The newly-published calendar will appear below the calendar-selection dropdown, along with an HTML and ICS link
  10. Distribute either link to the desired individuals



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