Managing notification emails for managed users

Box notifications enable managed users to efficiently stay up-to-date on the work they're involved in and on the work-related activity around them. By default, Box sends all notification emails to an account holder's primary Box email address.

 

Alternate Notification Email

Alternate notification emails enable managed users to receive email notifications at a verified notification email address different from their primary Box email address. The notification email can be configured by:

• Box admins, via the Admin Console
• Admin developers, via an API
• Individual Box account holders, via the Box Web app (if the admin has set up the enterprise setting to enable individuals to change their own emails

This feature will be available for Starter plans and above.

 

What can you do with this feature?

You can keep external managed users and admins of service accounts (such as. IT@company.com) informed.

 

If you manage your external users, you may have assigned a non-routable email address to evert managed external user, which prevented those users from receiving Box notifications. But you or the Box accountholders in your organization can add a notification email that is regularly monitored for Box notifications.

 

If you have service accounts that own content in your enterprise, but you still want to be informed about activity in those folders, you can add the admin's or IT team's notification email to receive Box notifications.

 

What notifications does Box send in the notification email?

All comments, collaborations, and account emails, including password reset emails, go to the notification email when the system verifies the email address. By default, the notification email address goes to the primary email address used to create a Box account.

 

Will the primary email address continue to receive emails?

No. Only the notification address receives emails when it has been verified.

 

Can you log in to Box with the notification email address?

No. You cannot log in with the notification email and see content associated with the primary account to which the email is linked.

 

Must the notification email be associated with a Box account?

No. The email can belong to any type of Box account holder (free or managed), and the email may or may not be associated with a Box account.

 

Can a notification email be associated with multiple primary Box accounts?

Yes. An email address can receive notifications from multiple Box accounts. For example, bob@gmail.com can be a notification email for bob123@box.com and bob456@box.com, and can receive emails from both Box accounts.

 

What if the notification email is not verified?

If a notification email has been added but not yet verified, Box continues to send all notification emails to the primary email address.

 

Do the notification preferences for the primary email address apply to the notification email address?

Yes. People can set up user notification preferences by opening the Box Web app and navigating to Account Settings > Notifications. User notification preferences set on the primary account also apply to the notification email.

 

What if the primary account has secondary email aliases?

For anyone who has set up one or more secondary email aliases (linked email addresses), the notifications for all secondary email aliases also go to the notification email address.

 

 

Configuration

Admins can use the Admin Console to configure the notification email. Admin/developers can use the API to configure the notification email. Individual Box account holders can use the Box Web app to configure the notification email, as long as the admin has configured the enterprise to allow end users to change their own emails.

 

Enterprise Admin Configuration

In the Admin Console, navigate to Enterprise Settings > Notifications > Email Notifications. There are 2 relevant enterprise settings. Changes to these settings are logged to the Security Logs report.

 

 

The setting Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address:

• Enables the alternate notification email feature for your enterprise.
  • If this is enabled, all Box notifications are sent to any verified notification emails
  • If this is not enabled, all Box notifications are sent to the primary email address for managed users, even if a notification email is specified. Notification emails that were previously specified are not be deleted.

If the sub-setting Allow all users to change their notification email is turned on, the system displays a Change Email option for the notification email in people's Account Settings page in the Web app.

 

 

Recommended configurations

1. To enable the alternate notification email feature for your enterprise, without allowing your end users to specify their own notification email address, select Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address. Do this only if you prefer to configure this on behalf of your end users. This configuration is available under the Users & Groups tab.
2. To enable your end users to receive email notifications at an alternate email address, and you also want tem to be able to specify their own notification email address, select Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address and Allow all users to change their notification email. You can still configure this on behalf of your end users. This configuration is available under the Users & Groups tab.

To add a notification email for an existing managed user:

1. From your Admin Console, navigate to Users & Groups
2. Find the managed user for whom you want to add a notification email.
3. Add an email address to the Notification Email field
4. Click Save.

The system sends a verification email to the notification email, which the managed user must then confirm.

When the user verifies the notification email, Box sends notifications to the notification email address if you have enabled the enterprise setting Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address.

 

To remove a notification email for an existing managed user:

1. From your Admin Console, navigate to Users & Groups and search for the managed user for whom you want to remove a notification email.
2. In the Notification Email text box, remove the email address and then click Save.

To configure a notification email for brand new managed user or a managed user whose primary Box account is not verified: You MUST verify the primary Box account before the notification email can receive Box notifications. The admin has the following options:

1. If the primary email address can receive emails, first have the end user verify their primary Box account by accepting the email invitation and setting up a password. After that, you can follow the same steps outlined above to set up the notification email.
2. If the primary email address for this user cannot receive emails, the admin can auto-verify the user's account. You must contact your Box Customer Success Manager (CSM) or file a support ticket to enable in your enterprise the ability for an admin to auto-verify a managed user's account. It is not enabled by default. After you verify the primary account, you can follow the same steps outlined above to set up the notification email.

 

End User Configuration

For end users to configure their own notification emails, you must first enable p2 enterprise settings:

1. Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address
2. Allow all users to change their notification email

To configure the notification email as an end user:

1. In the top-right corner of your Box window, click your account icon and select Account Settings > Notifications tab > Email Notifications section and then click Change Email. If the end user does not have an option to Change Email, the enterprise setting is not enabled.

    

   

 

2. Type in the notification email address to receive Box notifications. This address must be different from the primary email address.
3. Click Save and view the pending notification email address.

    

   

 

4. Log in to the inbox of the notification email address and verify the notification email. To do this, click Verify Email.

 

 

5. Log in to the primary Box account to confirm the notification email. If the person is already logged into Box with their primary Box account, they can see the confirmation page.

 

• If the person is not logged into Box with the primary Box account, they will be prompted to log in.
  • If the enterprise does not have SSO, clicking log in prompts them to enter in their password.
  • If the enterprise has SSO enabled, clicking log in routes the user to the enterprise's SSO login page.

• If the person is logged in with a different primary Box account, they receive an error.

6. If a notification email is verified, they see the notification email in the state below:

 

 

To remove the notification email as an end user:

1. Navigate to Account Settings > Sharing tab > Email Notifications section and then click Reset to Default.
2. Click Okay.

    

   

The system resets the notification email to primary email address and removes it from the Box account.

 

API Configuration

Admins/co-admins can use the developer APIs to update someone's notification email regardless of the configuration in the Enterprise Settings tab.

 

 

Reporting

The User Activity report audits the actions users and admins with regard to editing a notification email. The Security Logs report audits the changes made to the alternate notification email enterprise settings.

 

User Activity Report

The people who can run the User Activity report include:

• Admins
• co-admins with permissions to run reports
• group admins with permissions to run reports

To access this report, navigate to Reports > Create Report > User Activity Report > Users section. Then configure two settings: