There are times when an individual mail account just doesn’t
cut it. For example, suppose you want to create a location accessible by all IT
staff for support purposes. Perhaps you want to use this as a centralized way
of keeping track of help requests to make sure some don’t slip through the cracks.
For just these cases, among other reasons, Exchange provides you with public
folders. For those of you new to Exchange, a public folder is exactly what it
sounds like–a folder accessible (even through Outlook Web Access) to anyone to
whom you give permissions. You can create a public folder that houses any kind
of Exchange information, including mail, calendar, tasks, etc. Further, you can
“mail-enable” a public folder so that it gets its own email address (i.e.
helpdesk@example.com).

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To create a centralized public folder with its own e-mail
address, you first need to create the folder using Outlook. To
create a new public folder, go to Public Folders > All Public Folders.
Right-click “All Public Folders” and choose “New Folder…” from the shortcut
menu. Give the folder a name.

Now, from your Exchange server, open the Exchange System
Manager and browse to Administrative Group > Folders > Public Folders. Right-click
the folder you just created and choose All Tasks > Mail Enable from the
shortcut menu. Now, if you send mail to the name of the public folder, that
mail will be automatically deposited into this new folder.