Queen’s is installing a new integrated email, calendaring and task management service over the spring and summer.

The new Microsoft Exchange service allows users to access email, calendar, contacts and tasks from one integrated application. The benefits for users include being able to move easily between their calendars and their emails, and increased efficiency for scheduling meetings when everybody is using the same calendar.

“The change to Microsoft Exchange means all users on campus will have an advanced, leading-edge system for managing email, calendar tasks and contacts,” says Caroline Davis, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration).

The new centralized service provides significantly more mailbox storage, enhanced features for managing emails, and a superior web interface known as Outlook Web App. Mobile access will no longer be device dependent which is important as an increasing number of staff, faculty and graduate students use their smartphones to access their Queen’s email accounts. BlackBerry users will no longer need to use NotifyLink, making for a better experience and eliminating the licence costs. In addition, calendar services will be freely available to all staff.

ITServices can confirm that the learning curve is not a steep one, even for users accustomed to Oracle Calendar, and assistance will be available if needed.

The transition process is already underway. Key dates include:

• Email migration for current Oracle Calendar users to the new email server by May 11.—
Email accounts on the new server must be created for these users before their calendar data is migrated.
• Current Oracle Calendar users’ calendar data will be migrated over the weekend of May 12-13, after the email migration for these users has been completed.
• Current Oracle Calendar users will see their migrated calendar data in Microsoft Outlook or online through the Outlook Web App by May 14

The remaining staff and faculty email accounts will be migrated following the Oracle Calendar users over several months. The final phase of the migration involves current graduate students’ accounts. Staff, faculty and graduate students have received email notification about the transition of their email and calendar.

To prepare for this change, all users are encouraged to clean up their email account and review their NetID password to ensure it meets current strength requirements. ITServices has created a full list and instructions for completing these tasks. Users can also subscribe to a weekly email bulletin to learn more about the migration process, training information, and tips and tricks on using the new application.