IT to Upgrade Email to Exchange 2010 on June 24-26

6/20/2011

Information Technology will upgrade the UW email system to Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 during the weekend of June 24th – June 26th. Exchange 2010 includes many enhancements including an improved web interface, Outlook Web App (OWA). The new OWA incorporates more of the functionality available in the Windows Outlook desktop client. OWA and Outlook 2010 both support voice mail previews and transcription of voice mail. The new Outlook Web App better supports several browsers including Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. There is also a new conversation view that reduces mailbox clutter.

In preparation for the upgrade, and for best performance, it is recommended that Windows users have Microsoft Office 2007 or Office 2010 and Mac users have Office 2011 installed on their computers. The Outlook email client that is included with these versions of Office is automatically configured to work properly and seamlessly with Exchange 2010. These clients have been tested by IT to confirm that they function as expected. The Microsoft Office suites are available at no charge for university owned computers. Instructions on how to download the latest Office suites are on IT’s AskIT web site in the Microsoft Office section.

We advise users who are using older versions of Microsoft Office to upgrade. Non-Outlook clients, retirees, and those who cannot upgrade may choose to rely on the new and improved Outlook Web App interface. If you continue to use Outlook 2003 SP3, it must have encryption enabled, or email will fail after migration. Instructions on how to configure Outlook 2003 for encryption can be found at http://www.uwyo.edu/askit/displaydoc.asp?askitdocid=4761&parentid=1. Outlook XP will not work at all.

Mac Mail works with Exchange 2010. Entourage, the older Microsoft email client for Macs, is not supported by Exchange 2010. Microsoft recommends that you upgrade to Outlook 2011, which is included in the Office 2011 for Mac suite. Other email clients may or may not work with the new email server and functionality is not guaranteed for all clients. The IT Help Desk can help you figure out whether other email clients will work. They may recommend that you choose an alternative method to access your email such as one of the email clients listed above, by logging in to Outlook Web App (uwmail.uwyo.edu) with an Internet browser, or by simply accessing email through the email button in WyoWeb. Information on “How To Access and Use Outlook Web App” is available on AskIT.

For information that is specifically related to the Exchange 2010 migration, please see the Exchange 2010 Migration FAQ.

If you have questions, please contact the IT Help Desk at 766-4357, option 1, or email userhelp@uwyo.edu.

Maggie Morrison
Director, Client Support Services
Information Technology
University of Wyoming