The Switch to Enterprise Email
Army Enterprise Email (Also called DoD Enterprise Email) is the Department of Defense’s new email platform. It replaces the old AKO Webmail platform if your log-in requires a CAC. This happened because the army realized that the cost and benefit of some of these email storage accounts weren’t worth it. This change applies to over 534K accounts of Department of Defense accounts (including the army, JS, DISA, and EUCOM).
It had been directed to start the deactivation of 430,000 AKO email accounts by October 1, 2012. These army users are a precise subset of the total AKO DoD EE users. The DoD continued to deactivate all the AKO email accounts as users switch to DoD EE.
Army Enterprise Email Additional Information:
- DoD Enterprise Email
http://akoarmymil.com/dod-enterprise-email-dee/ - AKO Webmail Enterprise Email Migration
http://akoarmymil.com/ako-webmail-migration/ - DoD Enterprise FAQ page
http://akoarmymil.com/department-of-defense-dod-enterprise-email-information-page/
AKO email addresses (xx@us.army.mil) though are still applicable. Email bound for AKO accounts would keep on being mechanically forwarded to DoD EE accounts (xx@mail.mil). Just the related AKO email storage, mail-handling capacity, and that specific mail interface will be abolished. The storage capacity for these closed AKO accounts is going to be repurposed to lifecycle storage for this closed AKO portal.
It is to be noted that these 430,000 army users are those who had already switched to DoD Enterprise Email. The preliminary action taken for deactivating these accounts will not impact
- Deployed soldiers
- Family members
- Retirees
- Sponsored accounts
- Army Reserve soldiers
- Army National Guard soldiers
Have You Got Your CAC?
- To get your CAC, you must be sponsored by a DoD employee or official. The sponsor should be affiliated with the DoD or some federal agency that bears responsibility for confirming and authorizing your need for an ID card.
- You must get yourself registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) via your sponsor before card issuance. Also, in case of any change in roles—for instance, shifting from activeduty to the status of contractor—you are required to get reregistered in DEERS.
- Contractors are also required to be registered in the Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS) by a reliable and trusted agent (TA).
- Sponsors will start background verification for you. This procedure will be completed by following the two steps given below:
- Fingerprint checking byte Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- A National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI)check (written)
Since the NACI procedure can last for up to eighteen months, you might be issued a CAC prior to the procedure’s completion and subsequent to a positive fingerprint return. If the NACI procedure is completed and still you are not permitted, however, your CAC will be cancelled.
- Once the DEERS registration gets finished, you are required to visit a Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) website for final confirmation and processing. When you visit a RAPIDS site, you must have the following items in your hand at the ready:
- Two ID forms in their original form. Both ID forms must be among the listed ones on the I-9 Form (960k, PDF). One of those IDs must contain a photo (for instance, a passport or even a driver’s license).
- A six- to eight-digit number to be used as a personal identification number (PIN). Your PIN must not be a number that can be easily identified from something related to you, like a part of your Social Security number (SSN), anniversary date, birthday, telephone number, or home address.
- Your government-instated email address if you utilize a government computer. Make sure to print your complete, unclassified Internet email address (not your name and personal email address). Your computer system supervisors may help you with putting in the correct address. If you don’t have a work email address, the card will then be issued with no email certificate.
How to Switch to Army Enterprise Email
1. DISA mail employs Microsoft Exchange and demands 100 percent CAC use from the https://web.mail.mil Outlook Web App (OWA) web page. Here you will have your new account that is compatible with DoD EE.
2. After you have your CAC set up, you can log into army enterprise email by visiting https://web.mail.mil which will give you the ability to access your account. If any error message appears at the time of attempting to access https://web.mail.mil, it means that your Enterprise Email account either has some problem or it is not yet created. Now you must contact your helpdesk or your organization to determine the estimated date of its creation.
3. If you cannot access your account even after its creation, you can visit https://status.mail.mil (use your PIV cert or email) to determine the status of your DECC.
4. Once you are on DoD Enterprise Email, you can get all the emails that are presently in your AKO account by installing Outlook on your computer and fixing AKO via IMAP. Make a PST and transfer the emails there. As an alternative, you can also forward all emails to your new mail.mil email address one by one.
5. After the creation of your profile, you can update it by following these steps:
- Enter the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) MIL Connect page. The link is https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect.
- Sign in by clicking a red button shown on the right corner of the screen.
- Click OK.
- Click the tab named CAC, then login.
- Now click your NON Email CAC certificate, and then press OK.
- Now write your PIN, and then select OK.
- Click the tab named My Profile, select Update, and then click View My Profile.
You will be provided with many sub tabs through which you can update your email addresses, snail mail address, phone numbers of your contacts and your family, duty type, etc. It is to be noted that the entire staff of the army is required to select the field “U.S. Army Reserve Center.”
6. While you are accessing your email via OWA, if you face the error “HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable,” it means that the exchange server is either overloaded or down. So you should try to access your email later.
7. If you want to add your PIV cert to your CAC, and DISA has classified you as a Dual Persona(an Army Reserve soldier who is a DoD civilian as well, authorized to keep 2 CACs) , then you can access your email as follows:
- If you are using Vista, Windows 7, or XP with ActivClientand Java, you can follow this guide:
http://www.jbmhh.army.mil/WEB/JBMHH/Master%20Files/images/TTP-DualPersonaPIVAuthCert.pdf
- For alternate instructions and information, visit this link:
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/self_service/help/CAC_-_Activating_a_PIV_Authentication_Certificate.htm
8. To view your encrypted emails in OWA, make sure that you have S/MIME control installed in your computer. This can be done by following these steps:
- Click the Options tab
- Choose See All, go to Settings, and you will see S/MIME
- Click on the tab Install to install S/MIME control
9. You can have full support for your EE account whether you are at home, at work, or at the Army Reserve Center. You can have support by following these instructions:
- When you are at home: You can contact the Army Knowledge Online help desk at the number 866-335-2769.
- When you are at work: You can contact the Army Enterprise Service Desk at the number 866-335-2769.
- When you are at the Army Reserve: You can contact the help desk at the number 855-55USARC or you can also visit from your Army Reserve computer.
10. To turn off or close the conversation view in OWA, you can visit the link http://kb.iu.edu/data/azwv.html or http://oit2.utk.edu/helpdesk/kb/entry/1669/ . It will guide you how you can do that.
Alternately, follow these steps:
- Click on the drop-down arrow located next to the Arrange tab.
- Make sure the box seen next to the Conversation tab is unchecked.
- You can check the box to revert back to your previous preference.
11. If you attempt to use OWA on Windows 7 (both 32 and 64bit), you might encounter the following error/message:
To settle this problem, you can install the S/MIME given in the Options segment in your OWA account. If you are facing troubles installing S/MIME, then make sure that you have unchecked “Do not save encrypted pages to disk,” which is given under the sub tab Tools in the Advanced tab.
12. To find out the mailbox space you are using in OWA, you can hold your mouse over your name in your mailbox folder.
NOTE: You might need to do as follows:
13. Facing the error “This message can’t be decrypted “, is not something serious. You can try to reopen the message once again using OWA if you possess a smart card–based digital ID. You just need to insert the card. You need to be sure that the email address listed on your CAC is also present in your Exchange profile.
14. Once you get the notification that your account has been transferred to Enterprise Email from AKO, you can save all of your emails from AKO by following NETCOM’s TTP on Manual Exporting of AKO Email Data to Enterprise Email. You can find this file on AKO and in Word format.
15. If you are about to retire in the next coming months, you can request NOT to be switched to mail.mil, if you want, by visiting the link below to get appropriate information.
- AKO to mail.mil transition page
https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/EnterpriseEmailTransition
16. In case you don’t want to migrate to mail.mil because you don’t have a computer, or you use your local library to access your AKO email, or even don’t possess a CAC reader, you can request a waiver by visiting this link.
- AKO to mail.mil transition page
https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/EnterpriseEmailTransition
17. If you want to update mil Connect (e.g., after being wedded to another soldier) and are unable to get your details to show up as you being the sponsor, then it might bring you up as a family member. Follow these steps:
- Go to the sign-in page and select the CACtab
- Click on Manage Account
- Click the Select Sponsor tab
- Click on your name, given in the drop-down menu
- Click Save
- Click the option Continue to milConnect website, appearing on the next screen.
- You are now able to login as yourself and revise the milConnect website.
18. If you are being prompted for your PIN continuously when using Windows 8’s built-in smart-card utility, then you must be aware of that Windows 8’s built-in smart-card utility is deprived of the option to store your PIN (like ActivClient does).
DISA (Enterprise Email) will always ask you for your PIN. The only way out is installing Coolkey or CSSi. You can get information related to this on Windows 8’s support page.
DoD Enterprise Email
DoD Enterprise Email is one of the most effective steps to be taken by the army. It is operationally successful, improves safety, enforces two-factor verification, and decreases redundancy.
It is not too complicated to shift to this system. Especially with the major guidance given in this book, users will have help in switching to the system easily.
All army users having AKO accounts and CAC will be switched to Army Enterprise Email. Now they won’t be able to gain entry into their email by simply using a username and password, not anymore. DoD is on its way to completing the switching of the army’s 1.4 million users to Enterprise Email by the end of March 2013.
19. There are numerous differences between Enterprise Email and AKO email that the Enterprise Email users or account holders must be aware of. Especially, emails will no longer be accessible
- through Outlook (and the AKO Outlook connector) when utilizing a nongovernment computer
- from private mobile devices, as these normallyneed either POP or IMPA protocols
- Through utilizing IMAP/POP protocols from a business email client (e.g., Outlookor Thunderbird), as these do not facilitate the mandated CAC PKI certificate verification requirement.
20. If you want to check your DoD Enterprise Email other than OWA at a time when you are notpresent in the office, then you can forward the email to another.gov or .mil email address. You can visit this guide by EE via the link mentioned below to know about the procedure.
- https://ee.csd.disa.mil (CAC required)
There should be a link to the actual enterprise e-mail website.
Can’t seem to find the website
hard time getting to my mail.
This email is crap. AKO mail worked just fine, now I am no longer to access my mail from home, and I’m forced to use Microsoft Outlook, always a pain in my neck. Since it’s CAC access only, I won’t have access to official email during deployment either.
Also, whatever company runs this new email isn’t compentent enough to have a basic SPAM filter like gmail and every other email server on the planet, and doesn’t seem to be secure. The moment I was forced to change over, suddenly I’m getting inundated with SPAM and phishing emails that I never received at AKO. Over half my emails in a day are now SPAM and phishing.
And there is no help site other than the useless FAQ, which is why I’m reduced to complaining on here instead of actually being able to contact the company that runs this junk to get actual answers.
I can understand your frustration and will try to help as best I can with any of your questions. That’s particularly why this website was created, in the hopes that I or someone who visits the website would be able to answer some of the questions that you have.
I am unable to open my e-mail using windows 8. It gives me an error message every time. What is the issue and how do I resolve it?
I am having this same issue. Once I type in my PIN an error message displays.
The page cannot be displayed
Explanation: The client certificate used to establish the SSL connection with the proxy server is not from a trusted certificate authority (CA).
——————————————————————————–
Try the following:
•Select another certificate: Close all browser windows, open the web site again and select another SSL client certificate. If you are using a smart card, you will need to insert your smart card to select an appropriate certificate.
——————————————————————————–
Technical Information (for support personnel)
•Error code: 12221
Why doesn’t my webmail reflect what is in my work email? I’m AGR and don’t both my full-time and Enterprise email use the same email address? Why can I can only see a few things in my Enterprise email Sent folder, but not one item in my Inbox? I have hundreds of email in my work Inbox and when I’m home I see NOTHING. How am I supposed to use this? While I check once in a while to see if it’s working, I rely on Hotmail to email myself stuff I need to work on from home. I’m sure it’s not as secure, but it works.
I appreciate any/all help you can provide.
It would appear that you have a local .pst file set up on your work computer. This means when you get a new message, it is downloaded onto your computer and is then removed from the email POD. I would suggest getting your IA person to stop having the local .pst and keep your emails on the POD. This allows you to access them from multiple locations. The drawback is that there is a size limit for the amount of information each user is allowed to maintain on the POD and you might have to delete old emails regularly in order to maintain efficiency, as once your limit is reached you will stop receiving anything until the mailbox size is reduced. If this isnt it then I would have no idea.
Thanks Jason!
I’m trying to access enterprise email, however, I keep getting the below error on IE
Technical Information (for support personnel)
Error Code: 500 Internal Server Error. The server denied the specified Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Contact the server administrator. (12202)
Try looking at http://akoarmymil.com/error-code-500-fix/
that worked, thanks!
how do I retrieve all my old emails (sent, deleted, inbox) from my AKO? The outlook email did not migrate any of that over, which I sort of need.
My army.mil account has been moved to the enterprise server, and I have transfered from a reserve TPU unit to the IRR. So how am I supposed to access my email since I no longer have an active CAC?
MSG Highfield,
Just curious if this problem was resolved for you? I too recently transferred to IRR and now can’t access my email. In addition, no one has contacted me so I have no idea who my new contact person is or if there’s anything I’m supposed to be doing. I didn’t even realize my CAC would no longer be good until I saw your post.
I am unable to access my mail.mil. could the reason be because I have a mil@health.mil email.
I am unable to lod on due to password…..what do I do???
I am running a mac with OS X 10.8.3 I have never had any trouble using my cac reader or logging in to ako but when i enter my pin number to access the enterprise site it goes to a page with the following messageThe page cannot be displayed
Explanation: There is a problem with the page you are trying to reach and it cannot be displayed.
Try the following:
Refresh page: Search for the page again by clicking the Refresh button. The timeout may have occurred due to Internet congestion.
Check spelling: Check that you typed the Web page address correctly. The address may have been mistyped.
Access from a link: If there is a link to the page you are looking for, try accessing the page from that link.
Technical Information (for support personnel)
Error Code: 500 Internal Server Error. The server denied the specified Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Contact the server administrator. (12202).
Does this even work with safari if so how do i fix it and if not well thats going to make alot of people really upset
Anyone?…. I have the same problem. I need it fixed before I end up deployed again and no access to this system!
This new email is ridiculous. They need to revamp this to where you can access your email from your home computer. Why does the military always change a good thing? Maybe someone has stock in Microsoft. So now the best thing for me to do is to completely stop using this junk for a email system. Much less they have changed it and can’t get rid of all the spam that comes to my inbox.
We agree.
I have been deployed to Kuwait since December 2012, when AKO migrated to enterprise all my saved folders that I had on AKO were lost. I got no warning about my account being shut down on AKO. I had family photos and deployment photos and other information that can never be replaced. Is there any chance I can retreve those files. I have e-mailed AKO help desk with help on this issue on numerous times. They say send it to enterprise and then enterprise say they need to send it to higher and I never hear from them after that. Is there anything that can be done to return my important folders to me.
The AKO Help Desk can be frustrating at times regarding these issues. All we can recommend regarding this issue is to keep trying to get in touch with them.
It is easier for me to check my bank account and transfer funds then to sign into my new Army email to see if my new Orders arrived. How can I expect my troops to spend hours setting up their CAC readers (many have MACs) that in the end do not work >50% due to “network is busy”.
Repeat question: are our old emails (sent, deleted, inbox) gone from AKO? I have historical data that I was saving for retirement in there. Pls advise.
Is enterprise only accessible by using a CAC.
Yes. You must have a CAC to access Enterprise Email.
Hi, I am having an issue while OCONUS with the website for the new enterprise email.
So far I have only been able to get to the login part where I can enter my pin. After that it says the the website is invalid and that I need to check to make sure the address is correct. Some people are able to access their mail, however, it is not every time. Please help! We are running windows xp and internet explorer 7.
This Switching Over Is Not Working!
Enterprise email doesn’t work.
I have been notified that my AKO account will be deactivated. I have important information (large amounts) in email folders how can I save them elsewhere?
I was able to set up my e-mail w/my cac on my previous laptop at home. I recently got a new and better laptop, and I can’t get it to work. This is very frustrating. I agree with the others stating the old way worked just fine.
Check this http://akoarmymil.com/ako/ and this http://akoarmymil.com/enterprise-e-mail-outlook-web-access/ first. Make sure you have your DoD Root Certs http://akoarmymil.com/what-is-the-dod-root-certificate/
Then take a look at http://akoarmymil.com/enterprise-email/
Is there a plan to enable access through a desktop client such as Microsoft Outlook from home? Utilizing only a web-based interface seems to be an excellent way of ensuring that many DOD members (Active, Retired, Contractors, Civilians, etc.) will regularly miss mail, especially if they are not at work in a DOD office on a DOD computer…Is there no way to ensure CAC access to specific accounts within MS Outlook? Alternatively, a plug-in to do the same?
Is AKO still forwarding emails to EE accounts? If so, is this expected to continue?
Repeat question: are our old emails (sent, deleted, inbox) gone from AKO? I have historical data that I was saving for retirement in there. Pls advise.
Enterprise email is total crap!
Government budget issues + system that doesn’t work = scrapping useless system
This new system is horrible! I have been using my AKO for years and enterprise does not work. This has forced me off the Army systems for good and I will get a gmail account. I will no longer be using an Army system for email: no useless surveys on behalf of this or that leader, no more RFO, or prepping my board files. The new enterprise system “broke” more than just email…
All my work-realted email goes to my AKO, I check all my job status, tsp etc on my AKO. I am a DOD Civilian on LWOP because my husband is active army and the post we moved too has no positions open due to the Budget Crisis. Therefore my CAC has expired and I have been logging in using a username and password to get into my mail. What are displaced or LWOP employees suppose to do to access their accounts now?
I am very unhappy with this new EE. Pushed to start using AKO over a decade ago due to particular army instalations internet not allowing personal emails. Now after so long with that email I have to give it up? Well I certainly cant deal with the CAC only, block all links trashing of my emails. AND, how am I to save all my old and important emails now? They report deployed soldiers arent supposed to be switched, I’m in Afghanistan now a** holes. So I’m sure to loose 10+ years worth of saved emails cause I’m not at home to save them the only way they will allow.
I can’t get into my AKO even with my CaC. AKO switched me to EE and now I can’t even get into my email. What happened to customer service at AKO? I asked AKO about how non-CaC users of AKO such as retirees who don’t have a CaC (card) for login or are out in the middle of nowhere and don’t have a CaC enabled computer are supposed to access their AKO email without a username and password. Leave it to the government, if it ain’t broke, then fix it till it is!
I have a weird problem with Enterprise.
Even if I delete every email in each of my folders, Enterprise tells me I have about 500 MB of mail. My data limit is 512 MB. So, in actuality I can only store 12 MB of mail before exceeding my data limit and I’m no longer allowed to send messages to anyone.
I’ve called the AKO help desk and the best they could do was give me the old AKO post master’s email address. He hasn’t replied yet (it’s a weekend), but I’m posting here in case his jurisdiction doesn’t extend to the new enterprise system as well as the old AKO one, or if he never replies, or in whatever form just leads me to a dead end. Surely someone else has experienced this problem and found a way to solve it…?
I used to access my AKO account on My Mac Book Pro. as soon as I was transferred to the Enterprise email I could not access it from My Macbook Pro. When i go to the email website it asks for my pin and i enter it. Then it starts to load and the webpage just stops. as if the internet went out. Any help would be nice Thanks
I really wish I would have had step by step directions on how to avoid not being able to work for 2+ more weeks; from the start of the migration to now that I’ve been migrated. I am unable to send any email due to maxing out my account space???? So the only solution I can come up with is….just delete important work emails. Is there a way to increase my mailbox size even if it’s temporary until I can get things sorted and printed off?
If you are using EE at your work you could create an archive folder or.PST to move them to. There is a feature on the Exchange 2010 email server that will allow an archive mailbox to be enabled. I am not sure if DISA or the Army plans to access this. The archive mailbox works just like .PST file and is better because you can access it from OWA.
The only issues i have experinced are Microsoft pushing updates and Internet explorer no longer able to use certificates.
For anyone who has issues using Macs its because Enterprise email’s program code was writen for internet explorer; because 90 percent of Army uses Windows. I work a helpdesk for a different Military branch and the only options are to use something like Virtual Machine or we have instructions that might work, but we offer no support.
I get the following error message and can not figure a way to solve it.
I have windows 7 professional on my computer
I can access other websites using my CAC card and reader.
“The page cannot be displayed
Explanation: The client certificate used to establish the SSL connection with the proxy server is not from a trusted certificate authority (CA).
Try the following:
•Select another certificate: Close all browser windows, open the web site again and select another SSL client certificate. If you are using a smart card, you will need to insert your smart card to select an appropriate certificate.
Technical Information (for support personnel)
•Error code: 12221
I am experiencing that same problem, and have been for quite some time. I wish someone would address this. I really need to access my email.
I’m having the same problem and the same error. Has any one found a solution to this? “The page cannot be displayed
Explanation: The client certificate used to establish the SSL connection with the proxy server is not from a trusted certificate authority (CA).
Try the following:
•Select another certificate: Close all browser windows, open the web site again and select another SSL client certificate. If you are using a smart card, you will need to insert your smart card to select an appropriate certificate.
Technical Information (for support personnel)
•Error code: 12221
I currently purchased a surface rt tablet for easier mobility and because it runs Microsoft. I have yet to have an issue accessing enterprise on my laptop through ie 8 but my new system utilizes ie 11 and cannot access the page. It allows me into aka but I cannot log into my enterprise. This frustrates me only because I am NG and travel a lot with my civilian job and would like to keep up on my drill information. Can someone please assist me with this? I have tried trusted sites, downloading the certificate and even contacting aka (who informed me its an ie issue) and emailed Microsoft for assistance and haven’t heard back. Any help will be appreciated.
Why can’t I access my Enterprise email from home? I keep getting the error message: Outlook Web App didn’t initialize. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.
Every external URL, image, and file is stripped from mails in Enterprise now, rendering emails about as useful as a fax. To the point where you are unable to “UnSubscribe” from garbage emails.
I am now unable to connect to OWA on my Mac with OS10.9. My CAC works for AKO access but when trying to connect to OWA I get an unable to establish secure connection or not trusted on both Safari and Firefox.
Hi, Can you e-mail me a price only – of a Nissan alamara car for hire for 2 week in galway city and I use my own irsurance
This is SOOOOOO Frustrating!!!! One minute it works next minute it doesn’t.
HOW DO I FIX THIS?
The page cannot be displayed
Explanation: The client certificate used to establish the SSL connection with the proxy server is not from a trusted certificate authority (CA).
——————————————————————————–
Try the following:
Select another certificate: Close all browser windows, open the web site again and select another SSL client certificate. If you are using a smart card, you will need to insert your smart card to select an appropriate certificate.
——————————————————————————–
Technical Information (for support personnel)
Error code: 12221
I cannot access my RFO from home. I am on leave and about to PCS. This sucks. This is in no way helpful. It just says page cannot be displayed.
I am using Windows 10 and no matter what link I go to, it won’t let me access my email. One of the links asks for my pin for my CAC but then says the page is unable to open. Is there a way to take all the security off my computer or is it that I can’t access my email from my computer? Also, is there a direct link to get to Enterprise?