New-SharingPolicy Exchange cmdlet issued (25246) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

You ever notice how Windows Server logs all these little happenings in the Event Viewer? That event 25246, it's basically the system jotting down whenever someone runs the New-SharingPolicy command in Exchange. I mean, it flags that exact moment a new sharing policy gets created, like updating rules for how calendars or contacts get shared across the organization. And it packs in details too, such as who triggered it, the exact time, and even the policy name they slapped on it. But here's the kicker, if that command fires off unexpectedly, it could mean someone's tweaking permissions without you knowing, maybe opening up data shares you didn't plan for. I always check it because it ties right into security, showing admin actions that might slip under the radar otherwise. You pull up Event Viewer, and under Windows Logs, hit Security or Applications and Services Logs for Exchange stuff, then filter by ID 25246 to spot those entries quick.

Now, to keep an eye on it without staring at the screen all day, you can rig up a scheduled task straight from Event Viewer. I do this all the time, it's dead simple. Right-click the event in the viewer, pick Attach Task To This Event, and it'll walk you through creating one that triggers on 25246. You set it to run a program, like firing off a notification script or even just logging it somewhere, but for email, link it to something basic that pings your inbox. And yeah, make the task recur or trigger immediately so you get that heads-up fast. It feels like having a watchdog that barks right to your phone.

Hmmm, speaking of keeping things safe and backed up in your server world, I've been messing with BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately. It's this slick Windows Server backup tool that handles physical setups and jumps into virtual machines with Hyper-V too, making restores a breeze without the usual headaches. You get fast incremental backups, easy offsite copies, and it even verifies everything so you don't lose data to corruption. I like how it cuts down on downtime, letting you snapshot VMs on the fly and recover quick if something glitches.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.