Email/Calendar Update – Your Input Needed

[Sept. 17, 2012] With the transition to our new email/calendar environment now only five weeks away, we would like to take this opportunity to alert you to some of the things you can expect when we launch the new system.

• User Training
• What data will be migrated to the new system?
• What data will not be migrated to the new system?
• Software Client Considerations & Recommendations
• Student Email & Calendaring
• Questions/Concerns

User Training

The Email Project Team would like to get a handle on any concerns you may have as well as your training expectations. We have created a brief survey to gather your responses. You can access it at:

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ITemailsurvey

What data will actually be migrated to the new system?

Your Sheridan email will be migrated to the new Exchange environment, including any mail folders you have created.  Due to the large volume of email to be migrated, we will initially migrate the last six months of email data during the cutover to the new system, followed by older email data throughout the week of the rollout. Access to the old mail system and data will be available via web mail if needed during this transition.

What data will not be migrated to the new system?

Oracle Calendar Data

Oracle calendar data – meetings, notes, tasks, or personal address books – will not be migrated to the Exchange environment.  As previously communicated, the automated migration tool that is available does not cleanly migrate calendar appointments and data.  

We have been investigating the feasibility of manually exporting Oracle calendar data and importing it into the new Exchange calendar environment. Unfortunately, this process is fraught with data integrity problems and is not recommended.  All users will start fresh with an empty calendar.

Calendar Rollout Timing

Following the move to the new Exchange environment, we will be asking you to set up your new Exchange calendar based on your appointments in Oracle calendar. We are currently working on protocols for users to re-establish their calendars, but will be recommending that the meeting owners rebook the meetings in the new system. We will be engaging key calendar users in the coming weeks to offer solutions and assistance.

Sheridan will officially switch to Exchange calendar as the default calendar on November 5, 2012.  Oracle calendar will be the authoritative calendar until November 4 and will remain available as a read-only point of reference for historical data for a number of months following the transition.

Software Client Considerations & Recommendations

When we change over to the new Microsoft Exchange email/calendar environment, using Microsoft Outlook will give you the richest user experience, offering you an integrated email/calendar client and access to features that are only available using Outlook. For a full list of these features, click here.

Client Software Options

Below is a list of recommended email clients that will be supported by I.T. Many users may find that the Outlook web app offers them a completely satisfying experience and may never need to use a desktop client. The Outlook Web App (OWA) allows you to connect to the Exchange Server using a Web browser. No other client software is needed.

Windows 7 Users

• Outlook 2010
• Outlook Web App

Mac OSX

• Outlook 2011
• Outlook Web App
• Apple Mail/iCal/Calendars†

† ical became Calendars in OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)

Other Email Clients

You can use other email programs, such as Thunderbird, to connect to Sheridan’s Exchange server. However, you will only get email functionality. Plugins are available to add a calendar component to Thunderbird, but IT can only offer limited support to users who choose to use a software client other than the recommended options listed above. For a fully featured and supported user experience, use one of the Outlook options.

Microsoft Exchange and Smartphones

Microsoft Exchange works well with most major brands of smartphones in use at the College—iPhones, Blackberries, Android and Windows phones. Many users will be relieved to know they will no longer have to use 3rd party sync clients or plugins to access their calendar data.

Student Email & Calendaring

We are pleased to announce that coming this October we will be replacing our current email services for alumni and students with the email and calendar services offered in Office365. Users will have secure, anywhere access to email and calendaring from their PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. Other services offered in the Office365 platform are under evaluation and may be added in the future.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any immediate questions or concerns, send email to: emailproject@sheridanc.on.ca.

top of page