Microsoft Office 365 Implementation

Subject:  Microsoft Office 365 Implementation
 
The College of Charleston is excited to officially begin implementation of Microsoft Office 365 (O365). O365 provides a comprehensive set of software tools and services which will enable you to access email and files, share documents, and collaborate with colleagues from wherever you are. Whether you work on a PC, Mac, tablet or phone, you will have a consistent experience across all of your devices.
 
This strategic initiative provides more flexibility to meet the College’s needs, especially those identified through the IT Strategic Advisory Committee (ITSAC) for 2016-2018. Multiple strategic areas of focus from ITSAC emphasize the need for IT to evaluate and implement emerging technologies that are relevant to College stakeholders, as well as solutions that support business continuity. O365 covers each of these by moving to cloud based services, meaning hosting will be provided by Microsoft servers and not College servers. O365 also provides increased storage capacity and easy access to the latest software releases. O365 accounts allow each user 50 GB of email storage, as opposed to the current 6 GB limit; and 1 TB of OneDrive storage.
 
Information Technology (IT) will be rolling out the O365 functionality in a phased approach. You already have access to services like Yammer and Skype for Business. Between now and June 30, 2016 IT will be upgrading and migrating faculty and staff email to Office 365. Your email account will remain the same. You do not need to take any action at this time.
 
IT is dedicated to rolling out the various features of Office 365 in a measured approach. After June 30, we will begin implementation of additional services including SharePoint Online, a significant upgrade from our current collaboration solution.
 
Follow the project online at it.cofc.edu/pmo/it-projects/office-365.php where we will keep you informed of our progress and provide helpful resources. You can also participate in the conversation at Office 365 group on Yammer.