Campus Email Project: UMail
Campus Umail Project
In early 2003, an ITC subcommittee was formed to study the campus' email needs. An RFP was issued and many vendors responded. After narrowing the field to four vendor solutions, user trials were held in early 2005 and one vendor stood out for ease of use and functionality: Microsoft Exchange. A campus-wide, centralized Exchange-backed email system will be implemented in 2006. The system will do the following:
- Replace existing campus and hospital GroupWise and iPlanet email systems with an integrated campus-wide deployment of Microsoft Exchange, including associated gateway services (virus scanning and spam filtering) and client applications.
- Deliver a unified system for all users that allows seamless operation of system functions, such as calendaring, instant messaging and email.
Additionally, the system will scale to allow as many users as needed, consolidate campus email service providers that prefer a centralized solution, and allow groups that wish to maintain their own email solutions to continue to do so.
The project is a joint venture between the Office of Information Technology, Network and Communications Services, Health Sciences Information Technology Services and other interested campus departments.
Current Campus Email System Users
All current students, faculty and staff will have email accounts on the new UMail system. Students will be required to move to the new backend system by May 2006, but will not be required to use a new email address. The UMail system will support all current aliases in use with the current campus email system (iPlanet/Webmail). Specific instructions for student on migrating to the new system will be forthcoming.
Departments interested in being an early adopter can begin using the production system in March 2006. OIT will make 3rd party tools available to migrate GroupWise mailbox data to the Exchange system.
Campus vote for an email system name: UMail
We asked campus members to vote for the campus email system name they liked the best. The results are in, and the campus email system will be called UMail! To see how the more than 2300 respondents voted, click here.
The campus winners of the random drawing for the two Xboxes are Steven Morgan and Samantha Fung.
For More
End User Information (students, staff and faculty)
Technical/Implementation Information (campus IT administrators)
If you have a question on the Campus UMail Project, please email us at email_projectfaqs@lists.utah.edu.
