# Embedded Unified Messaging - Description

The Embedded Unified Messaging (UM) feature allows MiVoice Business users to manage their voice messages with one or more IMAP-enabled e-mail clients such as MS Outlook, Outlook Express, or Gmail. With IMAP, users do not download their entire mailbox of pending messages. Instead, they request only the messages they need—either as complete e-mails or as headers. And each message remains on the server until it is deleted. This allows users to download copies of the original message to multiple e-mail clients, and to synchronize message status throughout the system. For example, when a user opens an e-mail and listens to a voice message, the message status is updated in the local e-mail client. Then, when message synchronization occurs, the message status is updated in the user's mailbox, in the IMAP server, and in any other e-mail clients that have received a copy of the message. Synchronization also ensures that the message waiting indicator on the user's telephone always reflects the actual message status for the mailbox.

Embedded UM provides IMAP security through TLS and STARTTLS. TSL (and SSL) encrypts all data exchanged between the mail client and the server with a digital security certificate. STARTTLS lets you upgrade a plain text connection to a secure connection (encrypted) using SSL/TLS without using a separate port, simplifying device configuration. Note that despite having TLS in the name, STARTTLS doesn't mean you have to use TLS, you can use SSL.

## Advantages of Embedded UM

Embedded UM ensures that the user’s voice message store and e-mail message store are kept in sync:

- The message waiting lamp (MWI) at the user’s phone remains illuminated as long as there are new voice messages waiting to be played on the phone or at the e-mail client.

- Voice messages can simply and reliably be managed (saved, deleted) using either a phone or an e-mail client.

- Messages can be managed in bulk at the e-mail client. For example, instead of deleting messages one by one at the phone interface, it is possible to highlight all the messages delete them at the e-mail client.

- The Inbox folder is server based and can be accessed from multiple locations and by different e-mail clients.

- The MS Exchange IMAP server can either be an enterprise or hosted server on the Internet. However an enterprise e-mail server ensures that there are minimal delays in synchronizing the e-mail message store with the voice message store.

NOTE: You cannot have both Embedded UM and the Forward Voice Mail to Email features enabled on a mailbox.

Related Topics

- Embedded Unified Messaging - Conditions

- Embedded Unified Messaging - Programming

- Embedded Unified Messaging - Operation