Standardized email signature

[JohnB]

Is there a way, either via a Group Policy or script, to push a company wide
signature for Outlook clients?

Our marketing people have come up with a standard signature that they want
everyone to use and, they gave me *their* steps to provide to all users, to
create it in in Outlook. But many of our users will be totally lost, and
I'll get buried in calls if we go that route. I'd prefer to push it out,
and then just give them instructions on how to insert a line, to add their
own name and title.

 

[VanguardLH]

Is there a way, either via a Group Policy or script, to push a company wide
signature for Outlook clients?

Our marketing people have come up with a standard signature that they want
everyone to use and, they gave me *their* steps to provide to all users, to
create it in in Outlook. But many of our users will be totally lost, and
I'll get buried in calls if we go that route. I'd prefer to push it out,
and then just give them instructions on how to insert a line, to add their
own name and title.

You don't do that in Outlook. Policies get pushed onto a host when the user
logs into a domain, not afterward. That means users can change policies
after logging in if they have permission to do so. Users can modify the
configuration settings of Outlook, so they could disable signatures or
create their own.

You would need to send a separate e-mail with the conditions disclosed
therein regarding your intended contract and which then provided a link to
obtain the actual message which would show acceptance by the recipient that
they agreed to your terms; however, you would still have not means of
protecting your sensitive content since anyone receiving the e-mail could
use the provided web page and any login info to obtain that separate
document. For example, claiming in a signature that your e-mails cannot be
transmitted to another party, like trying to secure its content from
disclosure, cannot be enforced by a signature within the same e-mail that
holds that sensitive content. You would disclose too late your contract of
conditions for access to the document that is within the same e-mail, even
if that disclaimer were at the top of the message instead of the usual
placement at the end. This is like putting a ladder against your house but
placing the sign that its use is prohibited at the top of the ladder instead
of the bottom. No one is forced to blindly accept a contract or agreement.
A signature within the same e-mail as the content that it purports to
protect is non-enforcable and was not agreed upon by the recipient BEFORE
opening that message.

You incorporate a company-wide signature up on the Exchange server, not at
the Outlook client. Supposedly this signature is not required for employees
to see in e-mails sent from other employees, only for e-mails sent outside
the company by its employees to external recipients. However, there is
nothing legally enforcable by such a signature and no protection is afforded
by the included signature. The recipient won't see the signature until
after they open the e-mail, so they cannot be bound by any conditions
therein. Parties to any contract must know the conditions BEFORE they
choose to agree to the contract. Pretending that your company is not
legally responsible for any malware contained within communications
generated and transmitted by your employees is also not a scapegoat. You
can still be held liable. Saying you are not liable doesn't alter that a
victim can still prosecute for damages; otherwise, every criminal would
issue a disclaimer just before they violated you to alleve them from
possible punishment.

There is nothing in a company signature that is enforcable nor does it
afford any protection. It makes the company that uses such signatures look
foolish. The recipient is not legally required to commit to any condition
in a signature that is contained with the same e-mails as the document. The
recipient also is not legally required to abstain from pursuing remuneration
for any damages for infected e-mails sent by your company or its
representatives. The disclaimer makes your company look like morons.

 

[JohnB]

Well... not that kind of signature. I'm talking.....

John Doe - Vice President of Nothing
(877) 555-1212 - cell (877) 555-1234
www.OurWebsite.com
#1 in Making Stuff That Doesn't Work!!

And this would get pushed out with just the last 2 lines. Then they would
add their name and phone number.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]]

Is there a way, either via a Group Policy or script, to push a company wide
signature for Outlook clients?

Add the common portion on the server. Don't add it on the client end of
things.

 

[VanguardLH]

John Doe - Vice President of Nothing
(877) 555-1212 - cell (877) 555-1234
www.OurWebsite.com
#1 in Making Stuff That Doesn't Work!!

And this would get pushed out with just the last 2 lines. Then they would
add their name and phone number.

The "last 2 lines" would still be something your Exchange server needs to
add to all externally outbound e-mails. Since the user is expected to
manually add the first 2 lines, there's no configuration needed for that.
The user would enter their first 2 lines, send the e-mail, and if it went to
an external recipient than Exchange would append its 'company' signature.

Of course, and for convenience, the user could still define their own
personalized signature in Outlook for their 1st 2 lines. Then Exchange adds
the last 2 lines. If users cannot follow the instructions given on how to
add their own signature in Outlook then it's time to review just who wrote
those instructions that suck. After all, you will end up repeating those
same instructions when the user calls you. Whatever you can tell the user
is also what should be in the instructions.

There is some info at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287070 on where are
the signature files. So, I suppose, you could create a default folder and
default set of files and then push them out to the workstations. The users
would still have to go through the same steps as for when they create their
own signature except they will instead be editing one. There is little
difference between creating a new signature and having to edit one as far as
the instructional steps needed for either.

 

[JohnB]

Can I do that with a Group Policy?
Or are you saying on the Exchange server?

 

[JohnB]

There is little
difference between creating a new signature and having to edit one as far
as
the instructional steps needed for either.

Yeah....... Now I'm thinking that trying to automate part of this process
really isn't going to help. Because you're right, they're going to have the
same difficulty adding 2 lines, versus adding 4 lines and then editing them.
I need to write my own instructions... and just have them do the entire
thing.


Thanks.

 

[Orland, Kathleen]

You can add a disclaimer to all outgoing mail on the Exchange server. GFI
Mail Essentials will do that. You can simply download the free 30 day demo.
When it expires, it leaves behind the disclaimer. You'll need to verify if
it works on the latest versions of Exchange. The last one I used it with was
Exchange 2003.

You can word the disclaimer to say whatever you want. It can be an actual
disclaimer and/or the last half of a signature.

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 have built in support for it and Exchange
2003 and Exchange 2000 can do it via an Event Sink.
You can also distribute Signatures to Outlook via a logon script. With some
additional scripting you can even personalize them.

For details and examples for all of the above methods see;
http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/corporatesignatures.htm

 

[frier]

Is there a way, either via a Group Policy or script, to push a company wide
signature for Outlook clients?

Our marketing people have come up with a standard signature that they want
everyone to use and, they gave me *their* steps to provide to all users, to
create it in in Outlook.  But many of our users will be totally lost, and
I'll get buried in calls if we go that route.  I'd prefer to push it out,
and then just give them instructions on how to insert a line, to add their
own name and title.

This is quit simple (1 hr company wide) using eMailSignature Software
(3rd party) - www.outlookemailsignature.com:

((First_name)) (Last_name) - ((Title))
((Telephone_number)) - cell ((Mobile_number))
((Web_page))

John Doe - Vice President of Nothing
(877) 555-1212 - cell (877) 555-1234
www.OurWebsite.com

The campaign you schedule and attach to the group of users where it's
relevant (OUs, Distribution List, Security Group):

#1 in Making Stuff That Doesn't Work!!

You can also add company or departmental disclaimers below the
campaign if required.