As part of universitywide project, ITS will implement Microsoft email for UNMC faculty, staff, students, and UNMC Physicians.
Contrary to what was previously announced, Lotus Notes emails dated after Jan. 1, contacts and calendar information will not be populated into the Microsoft Outlook System that will go live on campus on March 6.
Unanticipated problems
“Unfortunately, the conversion tools have not performed as promised nor as expected,” said Yvette Holly, assistant vice chancellor for information technology services (ITS).
For example, ITS found calendar entries will not convert cleanly and the estimated time to convert employee calendars would be 40 days alone.
Access to Outlook expedited
To help ease the transition to Outlook, UNMC employees get access to their Outlook accounts later this week so they can begin to transfer calendar, contact and other information into their new accounts.
Instructions on how to access Outlook will be published soon.
New emails will continue to be received in Lotus Notes accounts until March 6, when new incoming emails will be received in Outlook.
March 6 is not a drop-dead date
Employees and students also are reminded that they will have access to their Lotus Notes accounts through June 1, which will give them more time to transfer emails, calendar and contact information to Outlook.
“We want to emphasize that March 6 is really a soft launch for Outlook and we will continue to have email, calendar and contact information in Lotus Notes after the launch,” Holly said.
In addition, ITS will assist customers with personal conversion tools and options.
Attend forums to learn more
Employee forums about the email system and the latest changes will be held on the following dates:
- Tuesday, Feb. 14 — 1 p.m., Sorrell Center, Room 3002 (no food or drink);
- Wednesday, Feb. 15 — 9 a.m., Durham Research Center Auditorium; and
- Wednesday, Feb. 22 — 9 a.m., Sorrell Center, Room 3002 (no food or drink).
Also, more information to ease the transition to Outlook will be regularly published in UNMC Today.
Patience needed and appreciated
While the changes and the conversion itself will cause inconvenience to employees, Holly said UNMC personnel should enjoy the Outlook system once the conversion is complete.
“ITS staff has used Outlook for about a month and we find it’s a productive tool and we are confident you will also,” she said. “Thank you in advance for your patience and support throughout this process.”