Management of Automatic Email Forwarding to External Addresses

Purpose:

To protect sensitive University information and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements by prohibiting the automatic forwarding of emails from Samuel Merritt University (@samuelmerrit.edu) accounts to external email addresses. This policy strengthens data security by mitigating the risk of unintentional disclosure of protected information.

Scope:

This SOP applies to all faculty, staff and students of Samuel Merritt University who use a University-provided email account. It covers all mailbox rules and configurations that handle the automatic forwarding of messages.

Tools Required:

  • Samuel Merritt University email account (Microsoft Outlook, Outlook on the web, etc.)
  • Access to mailbox rules/settings
  • IT Help Desk ticketing system (for additional information and support)

 Procedure:

1. Policy Overview

Effective September 8, 2025, the automatic forwarding of emails from a University account to any external email address (e.g., @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, a personal corporate account) is blocked by the system.

2. Permitted and Restricted Actions

Action

Status

Details

Automatic Forwarding to External Addresses

BLOCKED

System rules that automatically forward, redirect, or forward emails as attachments to recipients outside the @samuelmerritt.edu domain are prohibited and will be blocked.

Manual Forwarding

ALLOWED

Manually selecting and forwarding individual emails to internal or external recipients is still permitted.

Automatic Forwarding to Internal Addresses

ALLOWED

System rules that automatically forward emails to other recipients within the @samuelmerritt.edu domain are permitted.

3. Required User Actions

Step 1: Review and Remove Existing Rules

  1. Access your Samuel Merritt University email account via your preferred client (e.g., Outlook desktop application or Outlook on the web).
  2. Navigate to your Mailbox Rules or Settings. (In Outlook: File > Manage Rules & Alerts. In Outlook on the web: Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Rules).
  3. Carefully review all active rules.
  4. Identify and DELETE any rule that is configured to automatically forward messages to an external email address.

Step 2: Identify Alternative Workflows
If you relied on automatic external forwarding for specific workflows, you must transition to an approved internal alternative. Consider the following:

  • Shared Mailboxes: For collaborative projects or departmental emails.
  • Delegation: Granting a colleague access to manage your calendar and emails.
  • Microsoft Teams Channels: For team-based communication and file sharing.

Step 3: Handle Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs)
After September 8, 2025, any existing automatic forwarding rule to an external address will fail. You or the original sender may receive a Non-Delivery Report (NDR) error message. If you receive an NDR, it is an indicator that you have an active rule that must be removed per Step 1.

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