Transition of ontariotechu.ca email to a cloud-based solution
Overview
Please note: The following information only applies to Ontario Tech faculty and staff.
The university’s Information Technology (IT) Services team will transition all faculty and staff Outlook (@ontariotechu.ca) email accounts from physical on-campus servers to a cloud-based solution, Microsoft Exchange Online.
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 weekend, Ontario Tech Outlook will NOT be available for use.
This carefully considered shift will enhance the university's digital infrastructure, ensuring it remains secure, reliable, and able to accommodate the university’s growth. This transition follows a thorough Privacy Impact Analysis conducted by the Office of the University Secretary and General Counsel.
Major benefits
- Enhanced accessibility: Access your email anytime, anywhere, and from any device with Internet connectivity. Whether you’re on campus, working from home, or traveling. Your email will always be within reach.
- Improved security: The platform offers advanced security features, including robust encryption, ensuring your information and Ontario Tech data and communications remain secure and protected.
What is moving over?
- Individual Ontario Tech Outlook mailboxes (@ontariotechu.ca)
- Shared Outlook mailboxes (@ontariotechu.ca)
- All Outlook emails including attachments, flagged items and categories
- Email folders
- Calendar content
- Contacts
- Outlook distribution lists
- Outlook meeting rooms
Timeline
This transition will be taking place from 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21 to 6 a.m. on Monday, February 24. During this weekend, Ontario Tech Outlook will NOT be available for use.
How to prepare for the email transition
- From Wednesday, February 19 until after the transition, IT Services asks that staff and faculty avoid making any changes to their Outlook calendars, including meeting changes or cancellations. Changes made during this time may not appear after the transition.
- Save and close all documents and drafts in Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.) before Friday, February 21 at 6 p.m.
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If you access email on a mobile device, downloading the recommended Outlook app beforehand will simplify the transition.
Step to follow after the email transition
Step 1: Email activation
After you login for the first time after the transition, you will be prompted with a blue pop-up page to guide you through the process. Access to the rest of your desktop will be restricted until this quick step is finished. Once the process is finished, Outlook will open to your personal @ontariotechu.ca mailbox.
Exceptions
Staff and faculty who use a Ontario Tech Mac laptop, a personal device, or device purchased by a department or with research funds, will NOT see the blue pop-up page and will need to complete the process manually.
Step 2: Shared mailboxes
Before the transition weekend, we encourage all staff and faculty to take note of the names of the shared mailboxes they use, including the usernames and passwords. After the transition, most shared mailboxes will appear automatically. However, if any do not, you can manually add them.
Step 3: Mobile devices
Additionally, if you have Outlook set up on other devices, such as a phone or tablet, you will need to reconfigure the app on your device.
Email transition related impacts
Following the email transition, you may see some changes to your mailbox. Please be aware that many of these issues will be resolved shortly after the transition.
- Following the email transition, Outlook performance may be slower than usual for a few hours.
- Durham College staff and faculty will no longer appear in Ontario Tech's Outlook Global Address List. If you frequently collaborate with Durham College partners, save important email addresses in advance or use the Durham College Employee Directory. Our team is working with Durham College IT to restore this information at a later date.
- Calendar and email colour categories may appear slightly different.
- Calendar entries may not fully align. To avoid discrepancies, refrain from making changes after Wednesday, February 19.
- If your Outlook signature does not transfer over, visit the C+M website to recreate it.
- Email folders will be automatically alphabetized. If you previously arranged them differently, you will need to reorder them manually.
- The Outlook webmail URL will change but forwarding will be in place:
- Current: email.ontariotechu.ca
- New: outlook.com/ontariotechu.ca
