Concerns raised about e-mail, calendar services at UI
URBANA – The University of Illinois is moving toward better e-mail and calendar services – the same free ones you use.
CITES Express licensing expires Dec. 31, 2010. But even before that, many departments have been dissatisfied with the services and have moved on to products of their own choosing.
Charles Thompson, who chaired the committee that held public hearings on new e-mail and calendar services, said the move away from a proprietary UI system is not unique.
"We are certainly not alone in moving at least student e-mail off to Google or Microsoft. We likely won't even be considered an early adopter anymore," he said.
Thompson's committee, Campus Email and Calendaring Refresh Committee, in a recent report, noted that free e-mail services, in particular Google's Gmail, offer features that often exceed what commercial services provide.
The Urbana campus is urging a transition to the new services rather than waiting until the end of next year. There will be a learning curve, Thompson warns.
The committee endorses Microsoft Exchange as the e-mail and calendar solution for faculty/staff and graduate students. For undergraduates, they suggest Google Gmail and Microsoft Live<@>edu – whichever they prefer.
The UI will have to come up with support for users of mobile devices, a major growth area, and training for all who need it.
The reports said Urbana has never "provided a free central, common calendaring system.
The calendaring options available from CITES have always been provided as fee-based services. Similar to e-mail, this has led to many units running their own local calendaring services."
Also, the report said, texting, instant messaging and social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter have replaced e-mail as the dominant communications mechanisms for younger users, creating unique privacy and legal issues.
The report suggests that the changeover will not essentially change costs to the university.
This current fragmentation of e-mail and calendar services has led to increased costs through duplication of services and missed opportunities for enhanced productivity, in particular with calendaring, the report said.
"The committee does not have comprehensive cost figures that include all campus-related e-mail and calendaring expenses, but a study is currently being completed by CITES that should be used in conjunction with this report to guide final adoption decisions. The committee does believe that the recommendations in this report have been sensitive to the charge to be cost neutral," the report said.
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