Email transition FAQs

At Ontario Tech, we currently use physical on-campus servers hosting the email server locally within the Ontario Tech/Durham College institutions. 

In late February, we will be transitioning Ontario Tech email to Microsoft Exchange Online, a cloud-based email service that's part of Microsoft 365 (M365). A cloud-based solution allows users to access their email, calendar, contacts, and tasks from any internet-connected device, offering security, compliance, and disaster recovery features managed by Microsoft. This is ideal for remote and hybrid work environments.

By migrating to a cloud-based solution, the university will no longer need to maintain and manage our physical on-campus servers, reducing hardware and IT maintenance costs. The move also means our users will get the latest updates, and security enhancements.

Yes, Ontario Tech data will be stored within Canada.

Yes, there will be some downtime during the transition weekend. To minimize disruption, the move is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21 to 6 a.m. on Monday, February 24. During this transition period, Ontario Tech Outlook will not be available.

No, the transition will be completed by Monday, February 24 at 6 a.m.

No, your email address will not be affected by the transition. You will still use your @ontariotechu.ca email address.

Yes, the university will continue to use Outlook, and accessing your email will remain the same after the transition.

You will no longer be able to see Durham College staff and Faculty in Ontario Tech's Outlook Global Address List. If you work closely with our Durham College partners, please ensure you save any frequently used email addresses for future reference or use the Durham College Employee Directory. Our team is working with Durham College IT to make this information available again at a later date. 

If you notice any missing emails or calendar events, please contact the IT Service Desk.

 

Email will continue to be delivered during the transition. However, since users won’t be able to view their emails until the transition is complete, they will need to wait until Monday, February 24, to see the emails they’ve received.

If you use the Outlook app on other devices besides your work computer (mobile phone, personal laptop, tablet/ipad), you will need to use outlook.office.com or use the laptop/mobile transition guides found on our Transition of ontariotechu.ca email to a cloud-based solution webpage, to assist you with reconfiguring these devices.

After the transition, you may see some changes to your settings. While settings like signature and rules will remain the same as they were before the transition, categories may have different colours. We encourage users to screenshot their category colours before the transition, for reference following the transition period.

If you encounter any issues post migration, please contact the IT Service Desk.

You will not lose any emails during the transition but calendar meetings may have a small chance of not being updated, if they were deleted or changed in the few days prior to the transition. We encourage all users to avoid changes dates, or deleting emails, after Wednesday, February 19 until after the transition has been completed.

In the event that you are unable to find an email, please check your Junk folder. If you do not see the email in your Junk folder, please contact the IT Service Desk.

No, you do not need to backup your email. Your email will be automatically moved over during the transition weekend.

No, the email transition will have to be completed manually on user's mobile phones.  Please follow Step 3: Mobile devices, on the transition of ontariotechu.ca email to a cloud-based solution webpage.

We're not certain about which errors you might see on your phone at this time, as it could vary depending on the email server name used to configure your device. If you have any issues after you complete the steps, please contact the IT Service Desk.

Yes, they will need to remove your existing profile and then re-add it. Please visit Step 3: Mobile Devices, select your device and follow our guide to removing your exisiting Outlook account.

No, there will be no change to how you access or use your shared mailbox. Depending on how your shared mailbox is configured, you may need to re-add it to your device. You can find the guide to adding a shared mailbox, on our website.

Yes, all previous emails in your shared mailbox will be available after the transition.

Yes, the permissions and settings will remain the same as before the transition.

If you require a username and password to access the shared mailbox but don’t have the credentials, you'll need to reach out to the owner of the email account.  If you have any issues, please contact the IT Service Desk.

 Please follow the guide to adjusting automatic replies for shared mailboxes for instructions to adjust shared mailbox automatic replies.