Gmail & Calendar Transition to Office 365

Timing 

• November 2021 -Students will be issued a mailbox in O365 and an @wm.edu email address.  You will receive a notification when this happens. This will also provide access to productivity tools for Microsoft O365, like Microsoft Teams.  Teams is a central hub for group collaboration, teamwork, and chats.  
• January 2022 - your Gmail account will be copied over to O365 on a day during this time period.  You will be notified via email the exact date the change will take place for you mailbox.
• After your mailbox is migrated - Microsoft O365 will be your W&M email account and email sent to @email.wm.edu will start forwarding (temporarily) to @wm.edu.
• Until Dec. 31, 2022 - To allow ample time for the transition, the forward will be maintained until the end of the 2022 calendar year.

What to Expect

The details for the transition are still being hashed out, but this is what we anticipate at this point in time.

In November, a mailbox will be added to your O365 account. University correspondence will continue to go to your Gmail account until the migration is complete (January 2022).  There will be a forward from your O365 mailbox to your Gmail mailbox until the migration date. You will also have access to Microsoft Teams.  

At some point in January, your mailbox will be migrated from Gmail to Microsoft O365. You will receive notifications stating which day exactly.  Any tags you have set-up in Gmail will become folders in O365. No outage is expected.  You will simply stop using one mail service (Gmail), and start using the other (O365).

Once the migration is complete, you can access your email by going to outlook.wm.edu or use the Outlook icon on myW&M. There will be a forward from your Gmail mailbox to your O365 mailbox until Dec. 31, 2022.

Opt-In Early & Opt-Out

Faculty and staff with Gmail mailboxes can Opt-In to move their mailbox in December.  Otherwise, your mailbox will be moved in mid-January.  Opt-In to move early by Dec. 3, 2021.

Opt-In Early

However, you can also Opt-Out of having your existing email moved.  In that case, you must fill-out the Opt-Out form by Dec. 31, 2021 and you will have through July 2022 to export any messages you wish to save.  Follow these instructions for exporting your data.

Opt-Out

Timing 

• December 2021 - Those that have opted to move their Gmail to O365 early, will be moved.  
• Starting January 14, 2021 - All other faculty and staff Google mailboxes (except those that Opted-out) will be moved after the student migration is complete (starting January 14.)
• Until Dec. 31, 2022 - To allow ample time for the transition, a forward from Gmail to O365 will be maintained until the end of the 2022 calendar year.

What to Expect

The details for the transition are still being hashed out, but this is what we anticipate at this point in time.

Unless you have opted-in to migrate early, or you have opted-out, your mailbox will be migrated from Gmail to Microsoft O365 in mid-January (starting January 14, 2022).  You will receive notifications stating which day exactly. No outage is expected, but the sync for computer clients may lag briefly behind webmail. Any tags you have set-up in Gmail will become folders in O365. 

Once complete, you can access your email to both mailboxes by going to outlook.wm.edu or use the Outlook icon on myW&M.  This forward from your Gmail mailbox to your O365 mailbox will be in place until Dec. 31, 2022.

Current Alumni with Gmail Accounts

There are no changes planned to existing alumni Google accounts at this time. 

December 2021 Graduates

December 2021 graduates will keep their Gmail account with the @email.wm.edu address.

Current Fac/Staff that are also Alumni

Current faculty and staff that have alumni accounts will will migrated as part of the fac/staff migration, with options to opt-in for early migration in December or opt-out.  Please see the Faculty and Staff with Gmail Accounts. 

Future Alumni

William &  Mary will explore alumni email service as a second phase to this project for future graduates.

What will my new email address be? 

Your email address in Microsoft O365 will be your W&M Username + @wm.edu. 

Example: if current email address is wmgriffin@email.wm.edu, your new email address will be wmgriffin@wm.edu.

Do I need to change my email for services like NetFlix? 

Yes.  Sometime before the end of the 2022 calendar year, you will need to update services where you have used your @email.wm.edu account. 

W&M recommends that for consumer services, you use a non-W&M account.

Will I keep my email after I graduate? 

William &  Mary will explore alumni email service as a second phase to this project for future graduates. 

At this time there is no change planned for existing alumni email accounts. 

Will new students get an @email.wm.edu address? 

No.  Incoming students will only be provisioned an @wm.edu email address.  However, everyone at W&M (including new students) will have access to Google Workspace Apps.

Will I lose access to Google Workspace Apps? 

No!  We know you rely on Google Workspace as part of your academic toolset.  

I’m a student with an @wm.edu address.  What will happen to me? 

You're already a pro!  You won't have to learn anything new.  But we'll still let you know when your Gmail is getting moved so you aren't surprised when it shows up in your O365 mailbox.

What happens if my account is marked "Confidential"?

Your name will be hidden from Directory (as it is currently) and the "Global Address List" (GAL) in Microsoft Office 365.  Please note that this will limit collaboration opportunities on web apps, like Teams.

Can I pay for Google email service on my own?

No, students do not have the option to pay for W&M's Google service.  However, you may sign up for your own personal account.

Will Recognized Student Organization email addresses change?

Yes, but not now. We are first working through "people" accounts.  Non-people accounts will be addressed in a future phase of the project. Student organization email addresses will stay the same for the time being.

What will happen to my existing email in Gmail? 

It will be copied to your Microsoft O365 email account. Tags in Gmail will be converted to folders in O365.  For faculty and staff, the new folders will be added to your existing O365 folder structure.

What will happen to the emails that are sent to my old email address? 

For the 2022 calendar year, email sent to @email.wm.edu will be forwarded to your @wm.edu mailbox in Microsoft O365.

How do I access O365? 

After the migration, access O365 through the Outlook icon on my.wm.edu or type outlook.wm.edu into your web browser.

Will folders in the Gmail will become folders in O365?

Kinda.  Gmail doesn't really use folders.  It uses tags and labels.  The third-party partner we're working with has completed this migration several times in the past and is working on a model tailored to W&M.

Will calendar entries be moved?

Yes, entries will be moved from Google Calendar to Microsoft O365 Calendar. Reoccurring meetings may need to be recreated.

Will shared documents need to be re-shared?

Current sharing permissions will remain in place and will not need to be reshared.

Are there any changes to Google Drive with this transition?

Not at this time.

What does the @tmp-from-wm.edu address mean?

While the mailbox is syncing, users see the temporary address, @tmp-from-wm.edu, listed as an alternate address.  This is removed at the end of the process. 

What are the supported email clients?

The most common email clients used are supported.  More details and set-up instructions can be found on the O365 email website.

My question is not covered here, where do I get my question answered? 

Questions and concerns can be submitted to [[o365emailproject]].