Since learning about the University’s migration to Google Calendar and Gmail, Laura Williams, interim controller in financial services, has tapped into Google technology to encourage a collaborative working environment among her team members.
“The new Google platform has allowed us to take a new look at how we use technology to do our jobs every day. I've tried to impress upon our team that the key is to take the time to figure out how to make the software work for them, not the other way around,” said Williams. “Sometimes technology can get in the way of collaboration if we let it, so Google offers us the right tools and capabilities to counteract that and jump into the world of virtual collaboration.”
During the past two weeks, part of Williams’s team, along with approximately 1,500 faculty and staff members, distribution lists and generic email accounts, have successfully moved from Outlook Exchange to Google Mail. Additionally, 8,000-plus new student accounts have been activated with all returning students planned to migrate by Thursday, Aug. 6. The entire migration is scheduled for completion prior to the start of the fall semester.
Jennifer Toth Hicks, an ITS training and project coordinator, said the ITS Department is ready to “provide the campus with information that is clear and accurate, as well as help users discover how Gmail and Google Calendar can work best for them.”
As the migration continues, Hicks provided answers to some of the most-asked questions:
Q: Is an employee’s University Google account secure and safe?
A: Yes. The University has a Google Apps for Education contract that is extremely secure. Specific details are online.
Q: What if someone forgot to move PST files to the Outlook Exchange server before the account was migrated? And what is a PST file?
A: The definition of a PST file can be found here. If an individual forgets to put them in Outlook before migration, he or she can do it afterward - it will take some time, though. After migration, move the files and then contact the IT Service Desk to request a re-run of the migration, done on Fridays.
Q: How do I set up Gmail on an iPhone or iPad?
A: Click here.
Q: What’s the first thing I should do when my email gets migrated?
A: Click here.
Resources are available to support the campus transition:
- Introductory and advanced Gmail classes, as well as drop-in consulting are available daily through August. Click here to register.
- Consult the ITS Google FAQ site: faq.uncc.edu
- Contact the IT Service Desk at 704-687-5500 or email help@uncc.edu.
- Visit googlemigration.uncc.edu for overall project information.
Williams and her team continue to discover what Google can do for them. “Overall, the migration and the products themselves give us new opportunities to collaborate: sharing Google Docs and “talking” in real time with Hangouts are just a few examples,” she stated. “My goal is to foster a team-based approach to this change and to also gradually incorporate Google's collaborative tools into our everyday work.”
Photo: Members of the Google migration team are out and about across campus – feel free to ask them questions.