Exchange Rollout Project Information 2011-2012

What is Microsoft Exchange?

Exchange is an Email system with many additional collaboration and productivity features.

The University of the South Pacific has had Microsoft Exchange in its Alafua and Emalus campuses for the past five years. While other USP campuses have different emails server applications, all users have Microsoft Outlook as the common application to receive and manage emails.

The current email system for Laucala and other USP campuses is at the end of its technological life cycle with no support being available and no upgrade path. Further, user requirements for better mobility, backup and other specific requirements of an email system, strengthened the need to move to a better solution.

Beginning in November 2011, IT Services has successfully completed phase 1 with implementation of a full version of Microsoft Exchange 2010 at Alafua campus. Phase 2 has been completed with implementation at Emalus campus. This has allowed IT Services to test every aspect, from the initial migration of data to the day-to-day tasks performed by end-users, to insure that the transition will be as smooth as possible during Phase 3; the migration of all other university staff to Microsoft Exchange 2010
  

Benefits of Microsoft Exchange

1. Enhanced Features: Exchange lets you share calendars and tasks with other users.
   
   
2. Easy Access: The new Outlook Web Access (OWA) interface lets you access all the email, calendaring, contacts, and tasks features of Outlook 2007/Entourage 2008 on any computer in the world.  Better still, because OWA is an up-to-date mirror of your full email client, everything will be right where you left it. The same folders will appear in OWA. Can’t remember when that meeting is tomorrow? Check the calendar in OWA from home. And any changes you make in OWA will automatically update on your local machine when you next return to the office, so there’ no confusion.
   
   
3. Support for Mobile Devices: to be implemented
   
   
4. Security & Reliability: Constant backup of emails to the Exchange server, calendar entries, contacts, and tasks to the USP servers means that you’ll never lose email again. If your local machine does crash, you can retrieve your email from the server quickly and easily using our fast network.
   
   
5. Increased Efficiency: All of your email, calendaring, contacts, tasks and planning can be done using specific OS programs that connect to Microsoft Exchange. You can now share information with all of your colleagues, arranging meetings and workflows in an easy and flexible format.
   
   
6. Zero Cost: User licenses for Microsoft Exchange 2010 are covered under the University’s Microsoft license agreement

What Do I Need to Do to Prepare?

1. If you haven’t already done so, you will need to upgrade to Office 2007 (PC) or Office 2008 (Mac). This is a requirement of the University generally as most staff use these systems. Upgrade requests are done through the Service Desk.
   
   
2. There will be quotas on mailbox sizes of 2 GB for normal users. Therefore, it would be a good idea to have a cleanup of your email folders.
   
   
3. Training is recommended, particularly for those unfamiliar with Office 2007/2008

Technical Support

All support issues for Exchange will be handled by the Service Desk.  If you require assistance, or have any technical queries please check the websites listed below:
Instructions for many commonly-used features of Exchange can be found on the Exchange User Guides page. Also the Exchange FAQs may be of interest.

Contact the Service Desk