Crimson email will move from Google to Microsoft O365 May 7-9. Here’s what you need to know.
Why is this happening?
OIT is working to consolidate email environments at UA. Currently, student email is hosted in Google and faculty/staff email is hosted in Microsoft O365. By combining student and faculty/staff mail into one environment, the entire UA community can experience one cohesive directory where students, faculty and staff can easily collaborate with one another. Plus, having one environment will allow OIT to manage mail in one system. OIT will be able to provide the same cybersecurity measures for student accounts that are currently provided for faculty/staff accounts.
Will my email address stay the same?
Crimson email addresses will not change. The format will remain as myBamausername@crimson.ua.edu. Students who use alias @ua.edu emails will no longer have access to those addresses; students should exclusively use their crimson email accounts.
Why are student email addresses sometimes showing as @gsuite.crimson.ua.edu?
OIT is actively performing steps behind the scenes to prepare student email accounts for migration. Student email addresses may appear as @gsuite.crimson.ua.edu over the next few weeks before the migration occurs. Mail sent to either address will route to the same location.
What will be migrated?
All email in student accounts will be migrated. Any set folder structures will remain intact. Rules and settings applied to email accounts will not be migrated. This includes automatic reply settings as well as filter/rules. Visit OIT’s Outlook Best Practices page for instructions on setting up new auto-reply settings and filters/rules. Calendar items, contacts, and other Google Workspace content will not be migrated.
So, students get to keep old email messages?
Yes, OIT will move them from the Google environment to the Microsoft environment.
How will students access email after it’s been migrated?
Students can access their email using an Outlook mobile or desktop application, or students can access email on the web at outlook.com. Step-by-step guidance is available on the OIT website.
Will students lose access to Google Workspace?
No. Students will still be able to access apps within Google Workspace (Google Drive, Contacts, etc.) after the migration at workspace.google.com. However, OIT encourages students to check out the Microsoft tools available. Microsoft offers many tools that provide similar and enhanced functionality compared to Google tools.
Does O365 have something like Google Drive?
Yes, Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud storage space similar to Google Drive. Students receive 5TB of OneDrive storage space. Learn more about OneDrive.
What is Teams, and can I start using it after the migration?
Teams is an all-in-one collaboration space. Teams combines the best features from Zoom, GroupMe and Google Drive all in one app. Teams offers threaded chats, unlimited video meetings and 5TB of file storage for each Team. Teams works great on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. Students don’t have to wait until the migration to start using Teams. Learn more on the OIT website.
Have more questions? Check out the OIT website for more answers to frequently asked questions.