Why should I verify domains? You verify your domains to prove to Webex that you own them. This allows you to claim users into your organization if they signed up into a different organization. You also need to verify your domains before you can claim them.

To verify domains, we provide a token to add to your domain host's DNS TXT record. To confirm that you own the domain, we check for this token on the DNS server.

Why should I claim domains? Claim a domain if you want new users with that domain to automatically be created within your organization. This includes your users who sign themselves up for Webex. If you have not claimed your domain, then users who sign themselves up are created in a general organization with all the other ‘free’ users. You cannot manage their services until you claim the users into your organization.


  • You must claim existing users into your organization before you claim the domain.

  • We recommend configuring auto license templates before claiming your domain, so new users are assigned licenses when they're created.

Before you begin

  • You must own the domains you want to verify and claim.

  • For Hybrid Calling for users and Webex-registered devices, you must verify domains that are contained in the on-premises directory URIs for end user accounts on Unified CM.

  • You are forced to verify in a particular order to prevent administrator lockout. For example, you must add the administrator domain first, followed by all the other domains.

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To add and verify domains:

  1. From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Organization Settings and under Domains click Add Domain.

  2. Enter your domain name and click Add.

  3. Click the ellipsis beside your domain and choose Retrieve verification token.

  4. Copy the verification token into your DNS TXT record.

    • If your DNS host supports only one TXT record, add the token on a separate line.

    • If your DNS host supports multiple records, add your token on a single line in its own TXT record.

  5. Choose one:

    • Add the DNS TXT record to your DNS server.

    • If your DNS server is configured by another administrator, send the DNS TXT record to your administrator to add to your DNS server.

  6. Click Verify next to each domain.

  • If the verification fails, the error is cached by your DNS server. Your DNS server clears the cache after the specified length of time in the Time To Live (TTL) setting. You must wait to try again after the DNS server clears the cache. You can add the verification token again and request the verification for the domain.

  • If the verification token is found and matched, the domain status changes to verified in Cisco Webex Control Hub. To confirm that your domains are verified, go to Cisco Webex Control Hub, click Settings, scroll to Domains, and then confirm that this status appears next to the domain entries:

  • Although you've verified a domain, other organizations may continue to have users with this domain. Old consumer accounts won’t be automatically converted to organization users. If your domains are verified and users signed up for Cisco Webex accounts, you can convert those users to licensed users in your organization.

The steps in Cisco Webex Control Hub let you verify domains first, and then claim domains next as a further security measure. Domain claim means that you're claiming an email domain for use only in your Cisco Webex organization (other organizations cannot add users using that claimed email domain). This step prevents users with the claimed domain from existing in any other organization, including the free consumer organization.


 

No other Cisco Webex organization can add users using your claimed domains. You can't prevent users from signing up, and new users appear in your production organization. However, you can still add or remove users and change license assignments.

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To claim domains:

  1. From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Organization Settings and under Domains click the ellipsis , then select Claim verified domain.


     

    Before a domain claim, you must ensure that your domains are verified. Otherwise, your request may be rejected for security reasons. For example, you cannot claim a domain that belongs to another enterprise.

  2. Select Claim.

    After a domain is claimed, you can see that the status appears next to the domain entries as:


     

    After a domain is claimed, admins outside of the organization who attempt to add users using a claimed domain will receive an error message. Users who exist within another organization before the domain was claimed are not affected.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • If you synchronize Active Directory to the cloud, all domains that Active Directory is using must also be claimed.

  • Users who exist in the free consumer organization are not automatically converted to your organization. You'll need to convert these users. We recommend that you convert consumer users your organization before claiming the domain. That way, these users will not receive notification after domain claim.

  • You don’t have to claim a domain to claim a user into your organization.


 

There is no limit on the number of domains you can claim for your organization. However, if you have more than 20 claimed domains in a Cisco Webex organization, you may encounter issues with converting users.

What to do next

  • If you verified or claimed domains and want your Cisco Webex users to be activated before they sign in for the first time, you can replace the email validation by doing the following:

  • Assign services to your users. While domain claim aligns users to your organization, these users only have free services until you add extra paid services to each user.