Who This Affects and What It Fixes
This guide is for small-business employees whose organization has an existing Microsoft Exchange Online mailbox that is being used to represent a physical room or shared space. Converting that mailbox to a Room Resource mailbox removes user-account licensing restrictions and enables the mailbox to appear as a bookable resource in your calendar so that anyone scheduling a meeting can search for it and check its availability.
What Is a Room Resource Mailbox?
A Room Resource mailbox is a special mailbox type in Exchange Online designed to represent a physical location such as a conference room. By default, it automatically accepts or declines calendar invites sent to it. It also becomes searchable in your calendar application as a resource, allowing attendees to check room availability before sending a meeting request.
Why Convert an Existing Mailbox Instead of Creating a New One?
Room Resource mailboxes are typically created fresh when a need arises. However, some organizations already have standard user mailboxes set up for the same purpose. Converting those existing mailboxes to the Room Resource type allows you to:
- Avoid the licensing costs associated with standard user accounts.
- Ensure the mailbox operates correctly as a calendar resource.
Steps to Request This Conversion
- Identify the existing mailbox that needs to be converted to a Room Resource mailbox.
- Confirm that the mailbox is intended to represent a physical room or bookable space, not an individual user.
- Contact your IT support team to submit a request for the conversion, providing the name and email address of the mailbox to be converted.
- Once converted, verify that the room appears as a searchable resource in your calendar application and that calendar invites sent to it are actioned automatically.
Need Help?
If you are a managed IT client and need assistance converting a mailbox to a Room Resource in Exchange Online, reach out to the support team at Advanced Computer Solutions.