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Microsoft Exchange integration to BitaBIZ

Enable Unified Communication with the BitaBIZ Exchange integration

Written by Esben Hedegaard


Automatically synchronize employees’ availability status to Outlook & Teams

The modern workplace requires clear communication and transparency. With BitaBIZ’s Microsoft Exchange integration, you get a solution that automatically shares absence status and work availability across Outlook and Teams calendars — while improving productivity, coordination, and overview.

Check our Outlook cases below. Click to open a case:
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Case: What does lack of overview of “absence status” mean?

An average employee has around 50 absence days per year, distributed across vacation, other vacation, sickness, leave, and public holidays.

For a company with 50 employees, this corresponds to:

👉 2,500 absence days per year that must be communicated correctly


Without automatic synchronization, this can lead to:

  • Lack of overview of who is present

  • Meetings scheduled without key people

  • Colleagues looking for each other unnecessarily

  • Interruptions, misunderstandings, and wasted time

A realistic scenario:


If just 10% of these 2,500 absence days are not shared correctly, the company lacks clarity around 250 working days.

This corresponds to one employee “disappearing” for an entire year without anyone knowing where they are.

Case: What does lack of overview of “Working elsewhere” mean?

BitaBIZ also synchronizes when employees work from home, are traveling, attending courses, or engaged in external activities, and marks it as “Working elsewhere”.

This is crucial because productivity and planning depend on knowing who is in the office and who is working externally.

If your employees work on average around 20 days per year somewhere other than the office.

For 50 employees, this amounts to:

👉 1,000 “Working elsewhere” days per year


Without automatic sharing, this means:

  • Colleagues do not know if the employee is available for in-person meetings

  • Time wasted looking for colleagues

  • Poor conditions for coordination

  • Risk of booking errors

  • Unnecessary emails, chats, and calls

Example:
If just 20% of these are not shared correctly, the organization loses visibility of 200 working days per year.
This corresponds to one person being “invisible” for almost an entire year.

Conclusion: Absence + working elsewhere

When combining the two cases — absence and working elsewhere — an organization with 50 employees gets:

  • 2,500 absence days

  • 1,000 working elsewhere days

That is a total of 3,500 days per year where colleagues need to know who is present and where they are working from.

Without automatic sharing and updates in Outlook and Teams, this results in:

  • Risk of hundreds of misunderstandings

  • Poor planning

  • Unnecessary interruptions and lost productivity

  • Reduced efficiency in coordination

With the BitaBIZ Exchange integration, ALL of this information is synchronized automatically.

This provides:

  • Better meeting planning

  • Better collaboration

  • Less wasted time

  • A much more efficient and transparent workday

Benefits of the BitaBIZ Exchange integration

  1. Unified Communication – always up-to-date calendars

    Employees’ absence and work location are automatically synchronized in Outlook and Teams.

  2. More and more accurate registrations

    Visibility in the calendar improves both data quality and timeliness of absence registrations.

  3. Automatic out-of-office reply in Outlook

    BitaBIZ can automatically activate Outlook out-of-office replies when absence is registered.

When the integration is set up:

  • Absence and work location are automatically synchronized to Outlook and Teams

  • Out-of-office replies can be activated automatically in Outlook

  • The calendar always shows correct status information

Get more out of your Outlook Exchange integration. Enable the out-of-office email auto-reply integration. Read more here!

FAQ

How to set up the integration


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BitaBIZ has a pre-configured Entra ID (Active Directory) app. It is used to integrate your BitaBIZ account with Microsoft 365.

The app is used to create the following BitaBIZ integrations:

➡️ Single sign-on (SSO)

➡️ Automated user management (master data is synchronized to BitaBIZ)

➡️ Synchronization of absence status to Outlook (Exchange integration)

➡️ Enable email auto-reply during absence from BitaBIZ

Guide to adding the BitaBIZ application to your Entra ID

  1. Go to the Azure portal. Click the Entra ID Active Directory icon in the left-hand menu.

  2. Select Enterprise Applications from the Manage section.
    ​

  3. Select All applications -> + New application.
    ​

  4. Do the following:
    ​

    1. Type BitaBIZ in the search field

    2. Select BitaBIZ from the results list

    3. Click Create to add the BitaBIZ application to Entra ID Active Directory.
      ​


ℹ️ The BitaBIZ enterprise application has now been added to your Entra ID (Active Directory)!
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💁 Once the app is installed, it must be configured for your BitaBIZ Exchange integration.
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Setup guide

  1. Go to the Azure portal. Click the Azure Active Directory icon in the left-hand menu.
    ​

  2. Select App registrations from the Manage section.
    ​

  3. Do the following:
    ​

    1. Select All applications,

    2. Type BitaBIZ in the search field (or the name your BitaBIZ enterprise application was created with)

    3. Select the application from the results list.
      ​
      ​

  4. Select API permissions from the Manage section and click + Add a permission.
    ​

  5. Select Microsoft APIs and then Microsoft Graph.
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  6. Do the following:

    1. Click Application permissions

    2. Type Calendars in the search field

    3. Select Calendars.ReadWrite

    4. Click Add permissions

  7. Click + Add a permission again.
    ​

  8. Select Microsoft APIs and then Microsoft Graph.
    ​

  9. Do the following:
    ​

    1. Click Application permissions

    2. Type MailboxSettings in the search field

    3. Select MailboxSettings.ReadWrite

    4. Click Add permissions


    ​

  10. Select Grant admin consent for bitabiz and click Yes.
    ​

    💁 The two API Permissions have now been configured!
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    ​

  11. Add a new Client secret:
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    1. Select Certificate & secrets from the Manage section

    2. Click + New client secret

    3. Enter a description for the new client secret, e.g. "BitaBIZ Exchange integration client secret"

    4. Select an expiration period for the new client secret.
      💁 We recommend selecting an expiration period of 24 months.

    5. Click Add
      ​


      ​💁 The new Client secret has now been created!
      ​
      💁 We recommend that you create a reminder or change request for when the Client Secret expires, so you receive a notification in good time and can renew it before it expires.
      ​

  12. Copy the Value text string from the newly created client secret, this must be inserted into your BitaBIZ account later.
    ​


    ​

  13. Do the following:
    ​

    1. Select Overview

    2. Copy Application (client) ID

    3. Copy Directory (tenant) ID

Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID must be inserted into your BitaBIZ account later.
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Log in to your BitaBIZ account


Click Setup admin -> Integrationer -> Microsoft integrationer

Under the section "Microsoft Exchange Integration" click the link:

"Access Modern Exchange authentication settings"

To configure the Exchange integration in BitaBIZ, perform the following steps:

  1. Copy Application (client) ID from Azure and paste into Application (client) ID in BitaBIZ

  2. Copy Directory (tenant) ID from Azure and paste into Directory (tenant) ID in BitaBIZ

  3. Copy Client secret Value from Azure and paste into Client secret (value) in BitaBIZ

  4. Activate the Exchange integration by setting the button to ON.

  5. Click Save Exchange

💁 The integration is now ACTIVE. Test the integration by registering a sick day. The sickness registration will be synchronized and updated to your Outlook calendar within a maximum of 4 minutes.

Our Outlook integration is not working


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Synchronization of absence status from BitaBIZ to Outlook & Teams has stopped
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This FAQ helps you identify the cause if your BitaBIZ → Outlook/Teams synchronization has stopped working.
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We assume that the integration was previously set up correctly and that BitaBIZ is already connected to your Microsoft Exchange environment.
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There are typically 3 reasons why the Exchange integration stops or why individual registrations are not shown in Outlook:

Problem

Symptoms

Solution

Client Secret expired

No one is being synchronized

Renew Client Secret

New employee without calendar sync

Only some are affected

Add to Access Policy

Registration pending approval

Not shown in Outlook

Approve the registration

1. Client Secret has expired (most common cause)
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​Symptom

  • No employees are having their absence registrations synchronized anymore

  • The integration does not work for the entire company

Cause

Microsoft Entra ID requires a valid Client Secret for BitaBIZ to update Outlook calendars.
When it expires, all synchronization stops.

How to resolve it

Renew the Client Secret on your BitaBIZ Enterprise application in Microsoft Entra ID.

See FAQ: How to renew Client Secret Value for the Exchange integration

Important to know

💡 Registrations created while the Client Secret was expired are not automatically re-synchronized.
If you want them synchronized, they must be:

  1. deleted in BitaBIZ

  2. created again

Tip (strongly recommended)

Create a reminder for when the Client Secret expires so you can renew it before the integration goes down.

2. A new employee does not get their absence status updated in Outlook


​Symptom

Only some employees do not have their absence shown in Outlook – the rest works.

Cause

If you have created an Application Access Policy in Microsoft Entra ID to limit the Exchange integration’s access to specific users, new employees must be added to this policy.
If not, the integration cannot update their calendars.

How to resolve it

  • Add the employee to the relevant Access Policy / Security Group

3. The registration is pending approval


​Symptom

An employee has created an absence, but it is not shown in Outlook.

BitaBIZ only synchronizes approved registrations.
If the absence is pending manager approval, it is not sent to Outlook.

How to resolve it

  • Check if the registration is marked red in the employee’s BitaBIZ calendar

  • When it is approved → it is synchronized automatically

Which registrations are synchronized with Outlook?

Registration type

Synchronized with Outlook?

Vacation

✔ Yes

Other vacation

✔ Yes

Sick

✔ Yes

Child sick

✔ Yes

Time off in lieu

✔ Yes

Other leave

✔ Yes

Custom absence types

✔ Yes

Day bank (minus days)

✔ Yes

Driving

✖ No

Overtime

✖ No

Time registrations

✖ No

Working hours (flex time)

✖ No

Day bank (plus days)

✖ No


​Tip (strongly recommended)

Public holidays that are added to employees’ policies in BitaBIZ are not synchronized to Outlook, as they are not registered as actual absence events (such as vacation or sickness). We therefore recommend using Outlook’s own feature to add public holidays.

Setup of Exchange integration for multiple companies in Microsoft Entra ID

Introduction
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If you have multiple companies in Microsoft Entra ID, and each company has its own BitaBIZ account, the Exchange integration must be set up per company.
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This guide explains how the integration works and how to restrict the integration’s access so that each company can only synchronize its own employees.
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How Exchange integration works per company

  1. Set up Exchange integration on the company’s own BitaBIZ Azure app
    Each BitaBIZ account uses its own Azure app, and the Exchange integration is activated here.
    ​

  2. Important: Exchange does not follow the AD group
    Unlike SSO and Provisioning, the Exchange integration’s access is not limited to users in the AD group.
    ​By default, the Exchange integration gets access to all users in the entire Azure AD.

  3. Restrict access to only the company’s users
    To ensure proper separation between companies, Microsoft recommends restricting the Exchange integration’s access to specific users or groups.
    This is done via Conditional Access / scoping.
    ​
    ​How to get started
    ​
    ​BitaBIZ: Follow the FAQ guide to set up the Exchange integration
    Microsoft guide: Restrict access to the Exchange integration service account


    Summary
    ​
    The Exchange integration provides a strong Unified Communication solution but requires proper access restriction when working with multiple companies in the same Microsoft Entra ID.

Function

Setup per company

Default access

Option to restrict

Exchange integration

✔ Yes

Access to all users

✔ Yes – via Microsoft configuration

How to renew Client Secret Value for the Exchange integration

Our Client Secret Value for the Exchange integration is about to expire or has expired and needs to be renewed.
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Step-by-step guide:

  1. Open the Azure portal

    1. Go to https://portal.azure.com

    2. Click on Microsoft Entra ID in the left navigation menu

  2. Go to App registrations

    1. Under the Manage section

    2. Click on App registrations

  3. Find your BitaBIZ application

    1. Select All applications

    2. Type BitaBIZ (or the name of your BitaBIZ enterprise application) in the search field

    3. Select the application from the results list
      ​

  4. Create a new Client Secret

    1. Select Certificates & secrets under Manage

    2. Click on + New client secret

    3. Enter a description, e.g. 'BitaBIZ Exchange integration client secret'

    4. Select an expiration period (we recommend 24 months)

    5. Click Add
      ​
      ​


      Your new Client Secret has now been created.
      ​
      ℹ️ Create a reminder or change request so you are notified well in advance before it expires.
      ​

  5. Copy Client Secret Value

    1. Copy the Value field from the new client secret

    2. It is important that you copy Value – not Secret ID
      ​

  6. Update BitaBIZ with the new Client Secret Value

    1. Log in to your BitaBIZ account

    2. Go to Setup admin → Integration → Microsoft integrations

    3. Under Exchange integration:

      1. Paste your copied Client Secret Value into the field Client secret (Value)

      2. Click Save Exchange

Your Client Secret Value has now been updated for the Exchange integration.
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Can reminders be disabled for calendar events that are synchronized from BitaBIZ to Outlook?

Reminders on calendar events are controlled by settings in Outlook and cannot therefore be managed directly from BitaBIZ.
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When registrations from BitaBIZ are synchronized to Outlook, they are created as calendar events in the employee’s Outlook calendar. BitaBIZ only creates the calendar event itself and does not control Outlook’s reminder settings.

How are reminders handled?
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Reminders are determined by:

  • the employee’s personal Outlook settings

  • or the company’s Microsoft 365 / Outlook policies

Therefore, BitaBIZ cannot enable or disable reminders for these calendar events.

What can I do?
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If you want to change or remove reminders on calendar events, we recommend contacting your IT department or Microsoft 365 administrator.
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They can advise on the options in your Outlook setup and calendar settings.

✅ In short

  • Registrations from BitaBIZ are synchronized as calendar events in Outlook

  • Reminders are controlled by Outlook, not BitaBIZ

  • Contact IT or Microsoft 365 administrator if reminders need to be changed

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