The switch to UW-Platteville’s new email system, Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, will be taking place during fall break, and there will be a complete shut down during that weekend, making it impossible to access university e-mail until the switch is complete.

In August 2013, as the five-year contract with Zimbra was about to expire, a committee was created with representatives from around campus to address the issue. The committee at UW-Platteville decided not to continue using Zimbra as the university e-mail system.

“The committee met for several months and determined Microsoft Office 365: Outlook was best for the campus,” committee chairperson of the mechanical engineering department Matt Roberts said.

Many universities in the UW-System are changing to Microsoft. Although it is not a unified switch, it seems to be the most popular choice as the two most popular email providers for campuses worldwide are Gmail and Microsoft.

“The switch will not increase pricing for our e-mail and will in fact reduce the cost to have email on our campus.” Assistant Vice Chancellor of Information Technology Sue Traxler said.

All students will receive five free copies of Microsoft Office for any device as a result of the switch.

“Deb Meyer recently sent out an email informing students that they can get their Microsoft Office license right now,” Traxler said.

“Since most people out in the workplace use Microsoft Word and programs like it, Microsoft is willing to let campuses use it for a very low cost as they want students to get to know the stuff before they go out into the workplace,” Student Senate President Joe Sigwarth said.

It is possible that the Microsoft OneDrive, which allows all user files to be stored on Microsoft’s server space, will not be integrated until the spring semester.

The Information Technology department is continuing the work, dumping all emails into the new system. The only thing that may be lost in the process is any attachments over 25 MB. It is recommended that any attachments, especially large files, be saved. Also, any calendar events with no end dates will be lost in the switch.

For a full list of changes, go to http://www.uwplatt.edu/project-email-news/o365-update-preparing-your-zimbra-account. More information about the switch can be found in the Mar. 31 Exponent article “UW-P kicks Zimbra to curb”.