Campus UMail Project - End User Information

System Features
Email Software
Student Information
Staff & Faculty Information
What You Can Do Now

System Features

Microsoft Exchange was chosen as the backend for the UMail system because of its obvious ease of use and functionality during user trials. The list below outlines some of the benefits end users will receive.

All current students, staff and faculty will have an account on the new system.
Client software will be available for email, calendaring, IM, voice (future), and PDA.
Instant Messaging will be integrated with Outlook and Outlook Web Access (via Internet Explorer).
Students will get 50 MB of storage space. More can be requested for academic purposes (up to 200 MB).
Staff/faculty will get 500 MB of storage space. More can be requested for University purposes (up to 2 GB).
End user support will be 24x7 through the Campus Help Desk and the ITS Help Desk.
Active Directory will be deployed for both HSC-ITS and lower campus for calendaring and email services.
A full complement of “gateway services” will be deployed to provide virus protection, spam filtering and other services that are determined to be necessary.
Mailboxes for all accounts of the participating departments and groups will be migrated to the new system wherever possible, excluding students.
Forwarding services will be provided from the old systems to the new for a transition period.
Unified messaging will allow users to listen to voicemail via email.
My.utah.edu portal users will have single-signon to Outlook Web Access.
Server applications will deliver standard and existing mail protocols (IMAP, POP, SMTP) and services.
Backup software, hardware and procedures will be put in place that will ensure the integrity of the system and individual accounts on the system.
The system will be backed up to be restored and function fully in the case of a disaster.
User and technical training will be available.

Email Software

The email programs most easily integrated with UMail will be Microsoft Outlook 2003 for Windows operating systems, Entourage 2004 for Mac OS X+, and the Microsoft Web interface: Outlook Web Access (via I.E. 6.0+). There is also a Linux client (Evolution 2 through Novell, formerly Ximian Evolution), as well. Outlook and Entourage are available to all University of Utah students, staff and faculty for free download through the Office of Software Licensing (www.software.utah.edu). (Staff & faculty: you may need to have your department's software licensing coordinator order this for you.)

However, users can use any email program they prefer. There will be a loss of features, and not all programs will be supported by the Campus Help Desk beyond the standard email protocols. Please see the list of preferred and recommended email clients.

Student Information

All current students will have email accounts on the new UMail system. Students who wish to begin using the new system before May can (and are encouraged to) do so. 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 email address aliases in use with the current campus email system (iPlanet/Webmail). You can find all your aliases in the right-hand section of the uNID Account Tools.

Students will need to migrate their own mail from the iPlanet/Webmail system to the UMail system. We encourage you to move only mail you feel is important. You can forward one message at a time, or move all your messages at one time. The old system will be accessible for a period of time after the final cutover to the new system, but will not be around forever - only until September 30th, 2006. Once the final cutover occurs, all incoming email will go to the new system mailbox. Specific instructions on migrating to the new UMail system are available now for current campus email system users.

Student accounts will receive 50 MB of storage space. If you need more - for academic purposes - you will be able to request more, up to 200 MB total.

UMail as Official Communications

Beginning Spring Semester 2007, UMail will be used for official student communications for the University of Utah. Students will be expected to check their official UMail accounts on a frequent and consistent basis in order to receive University communications in a timely manner. The University recommends checking e-mail several times per week, preferably once per day. It is the student’s responsibility to report any problems with e-mail accounts or access to e-mail to the Help Desk.

Forwarding UMail

E-mail will not be forwarded from UMail to other email systems (gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc). These decisions were made (in part) based on the following three factors:

1- Guaranteed delivery of Student information to an active student e-mail account.
2- Increase security of student information, once an e-mail is transferred to an external e-mail system, it is then in clear text and personal student information could be compromised.
3- Guaranteed accuracy of email addresses listed for students.

Students should not forward their e-mail to another e-mail account. Having e-mail lost because of forwarding does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with communication sent to his or her official e-mail address. The University is not responsible for the handling of e-mail outside of the UMail System.

Staff & Faculty Information

All staff and faculty will have email accounts on the new UMail system. If you wish to use the system even though your department doesn't migrate to it, or before the migration occurs, you may. If you already use your campus email (Webmail/iPlanet) account, you will not be required to create a new email address. The UMail system will support all email address aliases in use with the current campus email system. You can find all your aliases in the right-hand section of the uNID Account Tools.

Current campus email system users will need to migrate their own mail from the iPlanet/Webmail system to the UMail system. We encourage you to move only mail you feel is important. You can forward one message at a time, or move all your messages at one time. The old system will be accessible for a period of time after the final cutover to the new system, but will not be around forever - only until September 30th, 2006. Once the final cutover occurs, all incoming email will go to the new UMail system mailbox. Specific instructions on migrating to the new UMail system are available now for current campus email system users.

If your department is going to migrate to the new system, OIT will work with them to help with a smooth, planned migration to the new system later in the year (after May 2006).

Staff and faculty accounts on the new system will receive 500 MB of storage space. If you need more - for University-related purposes - you will be able to request more, up to 2 GB total.

What you can do now

There are things each individual can do now to be ready for the new campus UMail system.

Clean existing email storage by deleting and/or archiving unnecessary email.
Establish a personalized "alias" for your campus email address and account using the Manage Addresses section of the uNID Account Tools. The default format of your campus '@utah.edu' email address is your uNID@utah.edu (u0012345@utah.edu). Since August 2005, uNID@utah.edu email traffic has been blocked if coming from off-campus. So, go set your personalized 'alias@utah.edu' email address before someone else with a similar name does!
Use Outlook 2003 (Windows) via "IMAP" or Entourage (Mac) software client in order to familiarize yourself with the interface. The software is available to all University of Utah students, staff and faculty for free download through the Office of Software Licensing (www.software.utah.edu). Staff & faculty: you may need to have your department's software licensing coordinator order this for you.