Microsoft, Google compete to replace Webmail at U. Penn

PHILADELPHIA -- Early next year, students at the University of Pennsylvania will have the option to switch from the University of Pennsylvania's traditional e-mail service to something that looks more like Gmail or Microsoft's Windows Live Mail.\nOfficials are planning to replace the University's current e-mail server with a new host from either Google Inc. or Microsoft Corp.\nThe switch will begin in January and will cost the University nothing. Students will retain their Penn e-mail addresses but should expect a server that looks different -- and has different features -- than the current Webmail.\nDeirdre Woods, associate dean and chief information officer of Penn's Wharton School, said that Google and Microsoft are currently vying for the contract, which she said will be the first of its kind on a college campus.\nThe decision to make the change stems in part from a desire to conserve resources, said Ira Winston, School of Arts and Sciences information technology chief. Instead of spending money to improve its own system, Penn is opting for a free upgrade to a system known to work well.\nSAS Webmail has occasionally fallen victim to shutdowns, the most recent of which occurred earlier this month.\nBoth Google and Microsoft are designing programs that would offer undergraduate and graduate students not only e-mail but also calendars that are compatible with cell phones and palm pilots.\n"We are looking to develop a communications platform for higher education in the 21st century," Woods said. "We're a prestigious institution. We need to set the standard for these platforms."\nThough Penn won't pay, there's still something in the deal for the companies, which are anxious to get customer loyalty from college students, Woods said.\n"They are willing to do it for free for access to a good market," she said.\nThe new service will likely be mandatory for freshmen who matriculate next fall, Woods said.\nIn the meantime, advisory panels from both the School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School will meet to discuss desired features of the program.\nOfficials will make a decision on the provider by late next month or early November.\nMany students already use an outside server for their e-mail, which is in part what prompted Penn to consider the switch.\nThis year, 40 percent of SAS students are forwarding their e-mails to an outside address, up 30 percent from last year, Winston said.\nWharton has forwarding rates of 11 percent for undergrads and 1.5 percent for MBA students.\nThe switch to other servers "is happening already, so we might as well take advantage of the fact and get you additional features," Winston said.\nStudents say they are mostly excited by the features that the new provider will include.\n"I think (the calendar) will be useful," Penn sophomore Baali Muganga said.\nAnd Woods said that officials will be seeking student input throughout the entire process.\n"This is a product for students. We really need them to provide feedback," she added.\nBased on suggestions from user feedback, the system will be refined and tweaked, Woods said.