Exchange Online Migration

In preparation for implementing Microsoft 365 university-wide, UBC will be migrating our enterprise email services from on-premise to the cloud platform Microsoft Exchange Online. UBC’s current on-premise enterprise email solution is approaching the end of its lifecycle and moving to a modern email system will also ensure that our email is secure, reliable, and integrated with other collaboration tools.

Email Migration Impacts

What to Expect After Migration

• Mail storage quota: Mail storage quota will increase from 8GB to 50GB (Faculty & Staff)
• Outlook for Mobile: A new mobile app for iPhone and Android will be available for migrated users.
• All UBC supported email Apps except Outlook for PC and Outlook for Mac will need to be reconfigured
• UBC Supported Apps:
• PC: Outlook for Windows, Thunderbird
• Mac: Outlook for Mac, Mac Mail, Thunderbird
• Mobile Devices: Mail App (iOS), Gmail (Android Devices), Outlook for Mobile
• Web: Outlook Webmail
• Exchange distribution lists will be managed on premise: Distribution list owners will no longer be able to update distribution lists through webmail post-migration
• Send As permission issues between different email environments: Managers and Mailbox delegates will be migrated at the same time to avoid ‘send as’ issues that may arise from manager and delegate mailboxes being in different email environments (i.e., on-premise and cloud environment)
• Outlook Add-ins: Users can access Teams, Zoom, and Salesforce add-ins. Additional add-ins will be considered post-migration, subject to a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).
• Changes to email-integrated voicemail: The current voicemail service is not supported in the cloud environment and a comparable voicemail service will be implemented to ensure that users can still access voicemail. Please note that this change is specific to UBC Vancouver only; UBC Okanagan’s current voicemail service will not be impacted.

Pre-migration:

To prepare for the migration, you will need to:

• Clean up your mailbox by deleting old content and exporting large files.
• Delete items in your “deleted items” folder
• In the “deleted items” folder, choose “recover deleted items from server” and select the option to purge these items
• Close your Outlook at the end of workday before the planned migration date.
• Ensure your operating system and Microsoft Office is updated to the latest version
• PC Users: If not yet complete, upgrade your MS Office to the 2021 version. Use the Software Center application available on your UBC-issued device to download and install the latest version.
• PC Users: Download and install the latest updates to Windows 10 or 11 using the Software Center application available on your UBC-issued device.
• Mac Users: Download and install MacOS 12 or later version on your computer
• Mac Users: Use the Self-Service application on your device to download the latest version of the Office Suite (Office 2021 or above)

• Distribution List Owners: Update all FASmail distribution mailing lists, as the option to update lists directly through webmail will no longer be available post-migration. Modification requests should be sent to the IT Service Centre, or as an alternative to mailing lists, you can use alternate communication methods such as Teams channels or chats.

Post-migration:

After the email migration, you will need to:

• Log into Outlook on your computer: Open Outlook and login using your firstname.lastname@ubc.ca email address and CWL password.
• Update your email settings: If you access your email using Outlook, you may need to update your email settings, re-create your email signature, and reconnect to shared mailboxes and calendars

MacOS

Windows

Mobile Devices

• Update your device settings: If you access your email from a mobile device, you need to delete the old email profile and add a new one using your firstname.lastname@ubc.ca and CWL password. This will not delete all your emails. Your emails will reappear when you add the new mailbox profile

• Voicemail: If you are currently using voicemail, you will receive an email notification within 48 hours to let you know your voicemail has been activated. The email will contain instructions on how to set up a new voicemail PIN and greeting message. If you would like to opt out of the voicemail service, please contact your departmental voice administrator

Also, check to ensure that the following appear correctly:

• Add-ins: Ensure you see the Zoom and/or Salesforce Outlook Add-ins if you previously had access
• Generic/Shared mailboxes: You should still have access to your generic mailboxes in the M365 Exchange Online environment
• Delegate access: Delegates should still have access to email and calendar views
• Calendar: Calendar schedules should appear correctly

Looking for more information? Visit our dedicated FAQ page where you'll find detailed responses to the most frequently asked questions.

If you wish to report any email-related issues post-migration, please contact the IT Service Centre Helpdesk at www.it.ubc.ca/helpdesk.