Exchange Online will become the official university email for all IU students, replacing IU Gmail accounts starting May 17, according to an email from University Information Technology Services.
Because of a new agreement with Microsoft, IU students, faculty and staff will soon use the same email system.
Students’ email addresses will remain the same, and students can still use other Google services such as Drive, Docs, and Sheets through their Google at IU account. Usernames and passphrases will also stay the same, and students won’t have to sign up for a new account.
All old emails will be saved, and UITS will migrate data from students’ IU Gmail accounts to their Exchange email.
The change won’t go into effect until after the spring semester ends. However, all new email addresses will be created on the Exchange platform starting March 12. New students will receive Microsoft Exchange Online accounts. By May 17, the change will be complete, and students will be able to log into their new Exchange accounts, according to the UITS website.
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Microsoft’s email comes with better access to Microsoft Teams — Microsoft’s communications platform that rivals Slack or Zoom — and Exchange is built into Microsoft 365 at IU. Shared calendars will make scheduling meetings among students, faculty and staff easier, according to the website.
Students currently use a different email platform than faculty and staff, which can cause issues with making appointments and delivering student emails to faculty spam folders.
Canvas also plans to integrate with Microsoft products like Teams for video conferencing, according to the website, which will make working in Canvas easier for students and instructors.
Students will be able to access their email via a web browser by visiting mail.iu.edu. UITS recommends that students use the Outlook app for their mobile device. Students using email apps to read their Gmail email will need to reconfigure it to access Exchange Online. Instructions to set up devices to transition to Exchange Online can be found at emailmigration.iu.edu.
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If students have both types of email accounts through IU, UITS will merge them and their data to their new Exchange Online mailbox, according to the email by UITS.
Former students with an active Gmail at IU account and students graduating in spring 2022 are eligible to create an email account with the IU Alumni Association, which are based on the Gmail platform, according to the website. They can opt out of the move to Exchange Online because they will no longer be a student by filling out a form by April 15. After this date, they will receive instructions to set up their IU Alumni account and forward their IU email address to that account.
