How to configure the IBM verse Android app to meet your organization's needs?

Description

IBM verse is an e-mail service that particularly caters to the needs of enterprises and organizations. IBM verse allows the users to better organize their inbox and is now being preferred in many organizations because of it makes mails self-organizing and also allows prioritizing tasks. In addition to this, it also allows various EMM providers the permission to remotely configur IBM verse mobile apps.

Mobile Device Manager Plus makes use of the Managed App Configurations, to apply these configurations on the app while it is being distributed. This way, the admin can simplify the initial set up process and also configure the IBM verse app based on the requirements of their organization

Pre-requisites

  1. Android device with OS 5.0 or above, and enrolled as Profile Owner or Device Owner.
  2. Android for Work should be configured
  3. The app must be added to the repository using Android for Work to configure it.

Steps

Follow the steps given below, to configure the app with the configuration:

  • On the MDM console, click on Device Mgmt tab and select App Repository.
  • Click the IBM verse app to view more details and apply the configurations.
  • Select the Configurations tab which appears only if Managed App Configurations is supported by the app developer.
  • Here you will find a list of fields where you can enter values to the configurations you want to apply.

  • PARAMETER DESCRIPTION
    Traveler Server Type

    The location of the Traveler server. You can choose between My Company's Server for on-premises and IBM Connections Cloud if it's hosted on Cloud.

    Traveler Server URL

    Provide the hostname or a fully qualified URL to your company's Traveler server. Only provide this value if using My Company's Server as the server type.

    Traveler Server Authentication Domain Provide the domain of the IBM Connections Cloud server. Only provide this value if using a non-default IBM Connections Cloud server.
    IBM Connections Cloud Email Address Provide an IBM Connections Cloud email address. Only provide this value if using IBM Connections Cloud Server as the server type.
    User ID Login user ID or name. Dynamic variables are accepted.
    Password Login password. Dynamic variables are accepted.
    Client Certificate Alias Name of client certificate to use for Verse authentication with server.
    MAM Required Signature Key If your Traveler server has defined a MAM Required Signature, include the corresponding Signature Key here.
    MAM Required Key Mismatch Timeout (hours) When changing the MAM Signature Key, allow up to Mismatch Timeout hours for the keys to be distributed before the application blocks.
    Prevent Screen Overlay Prevent other apps from drawing over Verse.
    Enable logging Turn app diagnostic logging on or off
    Lock Enable logging Prevent the user from changing the diagnostic logging setting
    Log size (in KBytes) Enter maximum log file size in KBytes. Allowed values are 100 to 100000
    Lock Log size Prevent the user from changing the log size setting.
    Auto report problems Automatically create and send problem reports when problems occur.
    Lock Auto report problems Prevent the user from changing the setting for auto reporting problems.
    Applications to sync Select which applications should be enabled for sync
    Lock Applications to sync Prevent the user from changing which applications are enabled for sync.
    Truncate mail to When downloading mail to the device, initially download only the specified size of each email.
    Lock Truncate mail Prevent the user from changing the size of the email to be initially downloaded to the device.
    Auto download inline images up to Limit the size of inline images that are automatically downloaded to the device when an email sync occurs.
    Lock Auto download inline images up to Prevent the user from changing the maximum size of the images that are automatically downloaded with an email when a sync occurs.
    Auto download attachments up to Limit the size of attachments that are automatically downloaded with an email when a sync occurs.
    Lock Auto download attachments up to Prevent the user from changing the maximum size of the attachments that are automatically downloaded with an email when a sync occurs.
    Remove mail older than Do not sync mail older than the duration specified.
    Lock Remove mail older than Prevent users from changing the length of time for which mail will be shown.
    High importance only Choose whether to sync only High importance email
    Lock High Importance only Prevent the user from changing the importance category of email synced to the device.
    Always bcc myself When checked, add the composer's email address to the BCC list on each new compose
    Lock Always BCC myself Prevent users from changing whether the composer should be added to the BCC list when composing mail.
    Use signature Sign composed mail with the specified signature.
    Lock Use signature Prevent users from changing whether the specified signature is used for a composed mail.
    Signature Specify the signature to be used to sign composed mail.
    Lock Signature Prevent users from changing the signature used to sign composed mail.
     Load Remote Images When opening a mail with remote images, ask the user before showing the images or always show them.
    Lock Load Remote Images Prevent users from changing the load remote images preference.
    Prohibit Load Remote Images Never show remote images.
    Display Subjects Display mail subjects in new mail notifications.
    Lock Display Subjects Prevent the user from changing whether to display mail subjects in new mail notifications.
     Important People Only Display new mail notifications from only Important People.
    Lock Important People Only Prevent the user from changing whether to display new mail notifications from only Important People.
    Message preview Display message preview in the list view
    Lock Message preview Prevent users from changing whether a message preview is displayed in the list view.
    Require external mail domain validation When a mail composed on the device is addressed to a user in a domain that is not included in the 'Internal mail domains' list, enable a warning message requiring the user to confirm that the external addresses are as intended.
    Internal mail domains for external domain validation Enter list of mail domains that do not require a confirmation warning message on the device when sending a mail. An '*' can be used as a wildcard. Separate list entries with either an ',' or ';'
    Custom warning message for external domain validation By default, the Verse client will present the message 'This mail contains external recipients. Confirm these external recipients' along with the external addresses to be confirmed. You can define a different message here; any message entered here will not be translated and will be used regardless of the device's language.
    Confirmation behavior for external domain validation Same option as the one above, but this one allows users to change the option configured
    Show past events The length of time, in the past, for which events will be shown in the calendar.
    Lock Show past events Prevent users from changing the length of time, in the past, that calendar events will be shown.
    Show upcoming events The maximum length of time, in the future, that events will be shown in the calendar.
    Lock Show upcoming events Prevent users from changing the length of time, in the future, calendar events will be shown.
    Export Verse Calendar Add Verse calendar events to the device calendar.
    Lock Export Verse Calendar Prevent users from changing whether verse calendar events are added to the device calendar.
    Export Verse Contacts Add Verse contacts to the device contacts list.
    Lock Export Verse Contacts Prevent users from changing if the Verse contacts are added to the device contacts list.
    Show Device Contacts Show device contacts in the Verse contacts app along with the Verse contacts.
    Lock Show Device Contacts Prevent users from changing whether device contacts are shown in the Verse contacts app along with Verse contacts.
    Sync incomplete only Only sync to dos that have not yet been completed.
    Lock Sync incomplete only Prevent users from changing whether all to dos or only incomplete to dos are synced to the device.
    Peak sync type The frequency with which apps will automatically sync data to the device during the designated off-peak time.
    Lock Peak sync type Prevent users from changing the frequency that data is synced to the device during the designated peak time.
    Off-peak sync type The frequency with which apps will automatically sync data to the device during the designated off-peak time
    Lock Off-peak sync type Prevent users from changing the frequency that data is synced to the device during the designated off-peak time
     Peak days Select the days during which data should be synced to the device more frequently.
    Lock Peak days Prevent users from changing the days data is synced to the device more frequently.
    Peak start time Number of minutes past midnight to start peak time
    Lock Peak start time Prevent users from changing the start time when data is synced more frequently.
    Peak end time Number of minutes past midnight to end peak time
    Lock Peak end time Prevent users from changing the end time when data is synced more frequently.
    Connect when roaming Enable to allow the Verse client to sync normally, regardless of whether or not the device is on a roaming network. If not enabled, only a manual user sync will be allowed if the app is connected on a roaming network.
    Disable sync when battery low Do not sync data to the device when the device battery is low.
    Lock Disable sync when battery low Prevent users from changing whether sync is disabled with the device batter is low./td>
    Application password auto lock period Number of minutes after which the IBM Traveler application automatically locks when not in use. Range is 1-60 minutes.
    Wrong application passwords before wiping application data The maximum number of consecutive failed application password login attempts
     Disable local password storage When enabled this option will prevent the IBM Traveler password from being saved in application storage. Enabling this option will require the user to enter their IBM Traveler password whenever the IBM Traveler application service restarts, including at phone startup. IBM Traveler will not synchronize data until the password is entered.
    Prohibit export of attachments to file system Select to disable the ability to export attachments from Verse to the device's file system.
    Prohibit use of untrusted SSL certificates When enabled, Verse will not be able to connect to a server that is using untrusted SSL certificates.
    Mininum number of characters for contact lookup When searching for a contact or entering an address, lookups from the server will not begin until this number of characters have been entered.
    Custom header key The name of the key to be added as a custom authentication header
    Custom header value The value to be associated with the key in the custom authentication header

  • Make use of dynamic variables to ensure that these configurations can be applied to all the users. Dynamic variables fetch the respective value that has been assigned to the device.
  • Once you have entered the values and made all the changes, click save.
  • The apps can now be distributed to the devices.