IST migrating all on-premises Exchange (Connect) resources to Microsoft 365

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

What is happening? As part of the project recommendation to move to Microsoft 365 email, IST will migrate all on-premises Exchange (Connect) resources (i.e., rooms and equipment) to Microsoft 365 (M365). 

What is the impact?   

  • There are no changes to the appearance or process of booking resources by email; resources will look the same in the Global Address List (GAL)
  • The interface when updating resource booking permissions has been modernized; the process itself remains unchanged. 
  • If the resource owner’s personal email uses on-premises connect, they will now receive a M365 login link when opening the resource from Outlook on the Web; resource owners should click the link and log in with username@uwaterloo.ca

What do I need to do? 

  • Windows Outlook
    • After the migration, resource owners, and others with the resource calendar open in Outlook, may see a message prompting them to restart Outlook
    • Click OK then close and re-open Outlook
  • Mac OS
    • After the migration, resource owners, and others with the resource calendar open in Outlook, may see a message indicating that “Outlook was redirected to the server Autodiscover-s.outlook.com to get new account settings ….”
    • Click Allow then close and re-open Outlook

Please note: In some cases, Outlook may need to be closed and re-opened after the change. In rare cases, the resource calendar or mailbox may need to be removed and re-added in Outlook.

When will this change take place? Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

Benefits of this change: Migrating resources to M365 will improve usability as resources in M365 work better for users in M365 while continuing to work for those still using Connect. 

Additional resources: 

  • Exchange Calendar resource settings reference
  • Exchange Calendar configure a room with approval required
  • Exchange Calendar configure a meeting room          

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357.