Campus Computing News

UNT Moving from GroupWise to Exchange/Outlook

By Allen Bradley, Manager, Network Computing Services

The University of North Texas will take a giant leap forward this summer as we convert our legacy server and email systems from Novell to comparable Microsoft products. The most notable change will be the migration from Novell's GroupWise email to Microsoft's Exchange/Outlook. Other changes, like file and print services, will be mostly transparent to the end user.

Implementation Plan

To ensure a smooth transition, the CITC has engaged Dell Professional Services (DPS) to consult us in the design and implementation of Microsoft's Active Directory, Exchange email system and file and print services. In addition, I have assembled two groups which represent areas around the campus who will assist and participate in the smooth implementation of these new systems.

The first group is the Steering Committee. It is made up of 20 key technical managers from larger campus computing support teams, the CITC's Network Computing Services (the creators or your favorite animated Christmas cards) and a representative from the DCSMT, which represents all areas on campus. This committee will give their big picture view of migration requirements, keep up with its timing and direction, and will coordinate the migration with their users.

The second group is the Implementation Team. It is made up of 24 highly technical personnel from campus areas that support several hundred users. This team will work on a daily basis with my team and DPS during the envisioning, design and roll out phases of the project.

Timeline for Moving to Microsoft

Though we have been preparing for this migration for quite some time, we officially began February 26, 2007 when DPS came to UNT for their 15 week engagement. The CITC is dedicated to the successful migration and will convert ourselves sometime in May. This will allow the Implementation Team to gain the necessary experience and confidence to begin the campus-wide roll out that will be completed during the summer.

Check our MSMigration page for regular updates of our progress and details on how you can begin preparing for the Microsoft experience.
 

 

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