How to send SMS messages from Microsoft Outlook 2010
It is possible to send SMS messages from MS
Outlook 2010 to improve your corporate communication. To use this function of
Outlook, you need to install a powerful SMS gateway software such as
Ozeki NG
SMS Gateway on your computer. This software product makes it possible to send
SMS messages from your computer to mobile phones. It forwards SMS messages
either over GSM modem connection or IP SMS connection to the mobile network. If
you decide to implement this solution you will gain a stable and
well-functioning SMS system based on Ozeki NG SMS Gateway. In this article you
will find further information on this solution.
Fields of application
Effective communication is an essential demand in companies
dealing with numbers of customers and business partners. They need to keep
contact with these customers and business partners and beside this fact they
need to be well-informed all the time to be competitive. These features can
be achieved by the implementation of an application such as MS Outlook 2010.
It makes efficient communication possible but cannot ensure fast response
options and availability. For example, if there is no Internet connection in
the office the communication flow will be blocked. Or you cannot be sure that
the recipient of your e-mail message is in front of his computer in the critical
moment.
SMS technology is the solution as it makes it possible
to send messages from Outlook to mobile phones. MS Outlook 2010 has a new
feature among its services and it is called Outlook Mobile Service. To use this
function first you need to install a powerful SMS gateway software on your
computer to ensure SMS functionality. Ozeki NG
SMS Gateway is a software product that is able to meet with these
requirements. With the implementation of this solution you will be able to
forward your incoming e-mail messages or calendar entries from Outlook
as SMS messages to mobile phones and there is a possibility to receive SMS
messages from mobile phones to your computer as e-mail messages.
This solution will help you further improve corporate communication and
ensure continuous availability. In this way you can get your reminder
messages even if your are on the move. You will be up-to-date on all of the
important matters due to SMS technology. Furthermore you can easily inform your
customers and business partners about important dates, meetings, events. So, for
example, it is possible to send them a reminder message about an approaching
meeting. It is due to the fact that you can specify multiple recipients for the
outgoing messages.
With the implementation of this solution you will be able to build an
effective, secure and well-functioning SMS system based on Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway that will help improve corporate communication and ensure continuous
availability. This article will provide you a step by step installation guide
but before you start to build your system, please check the prerequisites of
Ozeki NG SMS Gateway.
Prerequisites
In order to setup this solution you need to find a way
to connect your system to the mobile network. You can do this
by using an Internet connection or you can
setup a wireless connection by attaching a GSM phone/GSM modem to your computer. To help you make a
decision, we have prepared a webpage for you:
Internet based SMS connections vs. GSM modem based (wireless) SMS connections.
Depending
on what you select, you need the following prerequisites.
Prerequisites for Internet based connection to the Mobile network
If you wish to connect your system to an SMS service
provider over the Internet you need the following components:
Figure 1/a - Prerequisites for Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway IP SMS connection
In this case you need to find an SMS service
provider who can reach the mobile phones in your area. This SMS
service provider should be able to provide SMS service through
the Internet. To find such a provider, you can check our
website where we list some of them:
SMPP SMS Service providers.
Once you have found such a provider, you need to sign up for
their service to get the connection parameters. You can use these parameters
to configure your Ozeki NG SMS Gateway software.
Prerequisites for wireless (GSM modem) connection to the Mobile network
If you wish to connect your system to the mobile
network wirelessly, you need a GSM modem or GSM phone, that you
can attach to your computer with a data cable. In this case your Ozeki
NG SMS Gateway software will operate this phone and will send and receive
SMS messages wirelessly. To setup this connection method, you need the following
components:
Figure 1/b - Prerequisites for Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway GSM modem connection
Your checklist (for GSM modem connection):
*The SIM card will come with a plan, that will
determine how much money you will spend on each SMS.
System architecture
If you make sure that you meetall the requirements start
building your SMS system that will work as follows: First compose your message
in MS Outlook 2010. MS Outlook 2010 connects to Ozeki NG SMS Gateway over
webservice so the message will be forwarded to the SMS gateway software over it.
Then the gateway processes the message and sends out as an SMS message to
predefined mobile phones. If there is an IP SMS connection between your gateway
and the SMS center of a mobile service provider then you can receive a reply to
your message. It is possible because the SMS gateway is able to set the phone
number, which was provided in Outlook, as the phone number of the sender. In
this way you can get the reply to your mobile phone. Figure 2 demonstrates this
process.
Figure 2 - Ozeki NG SMS Gateway - solution
for SMS sending in MS Outlook 2010
How to configure this solution
To send SMS messages from MS Outlook 2010 with Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway, please follow the steps of this installation guide and watch our video
tutorial on the configuration of this solution:
Step 1. Create a certificate
Microsoft Outlook 2010 has been designed to be able to send
SMS messages. The name of this function is Outlook Mobile Services (OMS).
It is able to send SMS messages over webservice. To use this SMS functionality
first you need to setup an encrypted channel.
It is required because you can only use OMS over HTTPS (encrypted) channel.
To create an encrypted channel you need a certificate. This certificate can
be self-signed or it can come from an external issuer. You can create a
self-signed certificate with the use of
makecert program. So at first create a main self-signed certificate and
then create a certificate for the encryption of the connection. It needs to
be signed with the certificate which was created at first.
In practice you need to do the follows:
go to Start menu and select Command Prompt (All program/Accessories/Command
Prompt). Now go to the directory of OMS Tools (Figure 3). You also need to
download and extract the following program:
OMSTools.zip
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Figure 3 - OMS Tools directory
If you create a self-signed certificate, type
into Command Prompt the follows to get your IP address:
To create a self-signed certificate you need mkcert script.
Type one of the following commands into Command Prompt:
or
This will be signed by the certificate that has been created
at first where "Server" is the name of the server on which Ozeki NG SMS Gateway
will run.
If it is done close Command Prompt with "exit" command.
If you have created the certificates, you need to set them. You
can do this with the use of HttpConfig.exe
Now start HTTPConfig utility and bind your certificate to a port. You can do
this if you select "SSL" tab in HTTPConfig program and click on "Add".
A window appears, type your IP address into "IP Address" field. Then into "Port"
field type the port number on which you wish to provide OMS with Ozeki NG
SMS Gateway. By clicking on "Browse" you can select the previously created
certificate (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - SSL configuration
Select this certificate and click on "Apply" (Figure 5).
You can leave other fields unchanged and finally click on "OK".
Figure 5 - HTTP configuration utility
Then you need to install root certificate so click on "Install
Certificate" in "officesms" (Figure 6).
Figure 6 - Install root certificate
Step 2. Configure Ozeki NG SMS Gateway
Now start the configuration interface of Ozeki NG SMS Gateway.
First you need to login with your username and password. Then you need to create
a new user in the SMS gateway (Outlook Mobile Service User). To do this, click
on "Add new user or application" (Figure 7).
Figure 7 - Add new user or application
Select "Outlook Mobile Service" and click
on "Install" next to it (Figure 8).
Figure 8 - Install OMS
Next provide an application name for this user: in our
example it is "Ozeki_OMS" (Figure 9).
Figure 9 - Provide a name
Click on "OK" twice.
On the left hand side, "OMS
settings" appears. Click on it and provide "Listening Address" (Figure 10):
https://<HOST>:<PORT>/<PATH>
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Figure 10 - Listening address
In our example it is the following:
"https://192.168.139.131:8443/oms". If it is done, click on "OK".
If you click on "Events" on the left side of the interface,
you can see the provided address.
Step 3. Configure MS Outlook 2010
In MS Outlook 2010 you need to create a new mobile service
account. To do so, start MS Outlook 2010 and go to "File" menu then click on
"Account Settings" (Figure 11).
Figure 11 - Account settings
"Account Settings" window appears and click on "New" option on
"E-mail" tab (Figure 12).
Figure 12 - New account
In the appeared "Add New Account" window select "Text
Messaging" option and click on "Next" (Figure 13).
Figure 13 - Text messaging
In the next window provide the "Service Provider URL", your
"User ID" and your password (Figure 14).
Figure 14 - Account information
After you have provided the necessary data click on "More
Settings" (Figure 15).
Figure 15 - More settings
Now provide a name by which you wish to refer to this account.
In our example it is "MyPhone". Then specify your phone number and click on "OK"
(Figure 16).
Figure 16 - Configure service options
Step 4. Test the system
By clicking on "Test Account Settings" a test message can be
sent to the predefined phone number (Figure 17).
Figure 17 - Test account settings
If you have done your account settings properly a window will
notify you about this fact. If you click on "Yes" on this window a test message
will be sent to your mobile phone (Figure 18).
Figure 18 - Test the settings
After the configuration click on "Finish" and close MS Outlook
2010.
If you take a look at the "Outbox" folder of Ozeki NG SMS Gateway
you can see that a test message has been sent out (Figure 19).
Figure 19 - Sent message in Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway
Conclusion
MS Outlook 2010 with Ozeki NG SMS Gateway is the best solution
if you wish to improve corporate communication and ensure availability. With
this solution you can simplify corporate messaging by forwarding important
e-mail messages or calendar entries from Outlook to mobile phones as SMS
messages. As SMS technology is simple but very effective, the implementation of
it will result in considerable time saving and reduce IT costs. With this
solution you can build a stable SMS system based on Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway and you will get high quality service.
Request more information
If you are interested in this solution, let us know, so we can send you
more relevant information and quotation with prices. Please fill in the
following form:
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