The purpose of this initiative was to investigate the feasibility of moving staff, faculty, graduate and post-doctoral student email to Microsoft Office 365 (O365); and if it proved feasible, after consultation and feedback from the University of Waterloo community, develop a recommendation for approval to proceed and an implementation plan.
Preparatory investigation
In preparation for this initiative, Information Systems & Technology (IST) consulted with four Ontario universities (Toronto, Queen’s, Ottawa and Western) who recently moved to Office 365 for employees, to learn of their experiences and any challenges encountered. A recent survey of CUCCIO members regarding their solution for employee email revealed that a number of institutions have implemented a cloud-based solution, with the majority supporting Microsoft Office 365.
| Institution | Email solution | Province |
|---|---|---|
| MacEwan University | Office 365 | Alberta |
| University of Calgary | Office 365 | Alberta |
| University of Lethbridge | Office 365 | Alberta |
| Capilano University | Office 365 | British Columbia |
| University of New Brunswick (UNB) | Office 365 | New Brunswick |
| Acadia | Office 365 | Nova Scotia |
| Dalhousie University | Office 365 | Nova Scotia |
| Carleton University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| University of Guelph | Office 365 | Ontario |
| University of Windsor | Office 365 | Ontario |
| Trent University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| Western | Office 365 | Ontario |
| Wilfrid Laurier University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| University of Ottawa | Office 365 | Ontario |
| Brock University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| OCAD University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| University of Toronto | Office 365 | Ontario |
| York University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| Queen's University | Office 365 | Ontario |
| McGill University | Office 365 | Quebec |
| Université de Montréal | Office 365 | Quebec |
| University of Prince Edward Island | Office 365 | Prince Edward Island (PEI) |
| University of Saskatchewan | Office 365 | Saskatchewan |
| Mount Royal University | Gmail | Alberta |
| University of Alberta | Gmail | Alberta |
| Laurentian | Gmail | Ontario |
| Lakehead University | Gmail | Ontario |
| Nipissing University | Gmail | Ontario |
| Ryerson University | Gmail | Ontario |
| University of British Columbia (UBC) | Local | British Columbia (BC) |
| Simon Fraser University | Local | BC |
| Emily Carr University of Art and Design | Local | BC |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | Local | BC |
| Royal Roads University | Local | BC |
| Brandon University | Local | Manitoba |
| University of Waterloo | Local | Ontario |
| Ontario Tech University | Local | Ontario |
| McMaster | Local (moving to O365 2020) | Ontario |
| Polytechnique Montreal | Local | Quebec |
| University of Regina | Local | Saskatchewan |
Note:
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Many institutions that operate a local email server are in BC, whose Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act was only recently amended (November 2019) to allow for cloud hosting of email by public organizations.
