Colleagues:

I wanted to alert you that we are in position to move all students to cloud email the week of May 6 (i.e. next week).  Students were notified today via Kevin’s email below.  Some students are already on the new Office 365 system as part of a pilot group.  Nancy Sullivan in the Technology Resource Center will be sending a follow-up email to students in a few days with instructions on how to configure their personal mobile phones and other portable devices to access the new system.

The Office 365 transition also incorporates new online collaborative tools supported through Microsoft Lync.  Students will be transitioning to Lync through the fall semester and we expect to see a gradual increase in voice and video traffic as more students begin using the online collaboration tools and video conferencing features available through Lync.  Upgrades to our core network will be made over the summer to prepare for that.

Our Faculty/Staff transition is around the corner so there is more to come.

Just want to keep all of you in the loop!

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From: Kevin Blankenship
Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2013 1:20 PM
To: #Students
Subject: Office 365 email transition

Students,

This summer will be an active summer for technology transitions. One very important transition will be moving your email accounts to the cloud based Office 365 platform. Office 365 is in use by many schools and universities. This move will have several benefits.

Office 365 gives users anywhere access to email and calendars, Office Web Apps, video and online meetings, and document sharing. It has your favorite Office features online and allows you to better prepare coursework, create sophisticated reports and presentations, and collaborate over the web. See a short promo video here:

http://vstream.berea.edu/app/sites/index.aspx?destinationID=0IT-X20beki4BULSTtGqKg

With Microsoft Office 365:

• No more cleaning out your inbox! You get a web-based email account with a 25GB mailbox.
• Work and communicate from your phone, PC, or Mac, using email, instant messaging, HD video chat, and online meetings.
• Create, edit, and share Microsoft Office documents online with Office Web Apps.
• Collaborate in online meetings; share your desktop, whiteboard items, and record a live video call.

Office 365 is fully interactive with the local email servers, so your professors and support staff will be in the global address list.

Transitions will occur the week of May 6^th. Look for more information later in the week. Have a great summer!

Kevin Blankenship