FAQs About the Move to Google Apps

General

• What is Exchange email and calendar?
• What is Google Apps?
• Why are we moving from Exchange to Google Apps?
• When will faculty and staff move from Exchange to Google Apps?
• Will my email address change?
• Can I choose to keep using Exchange email and calendar?
• How much is this costing the University?
• Will the University stop using Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)?
• What if I already have a Gmail account?

Moving Outlook/Entourage/ArgoMail Info to Google

• What happens to my old email?
• What if I all of my mail wasn't copied?
• What happens to my calendar?
• What if all of my calendar events weren't copied?
• What happens to my contacts?
• What if I forward my email?
• What if I use an email alias?
• What about department and organization email accounts?

Preparing for the Switch

• What do I need to do to prepare for the switch to Google Email and Calendar?
• I manage an email account or calendar other than my own. What special steps do I need to take?

About Google Apps for UWF

• How do I get to Google Apps for UWF?
• What will be my username and password?
• How much email storage space will I have in Gmail?
• Will Google read my email?
• Will I see ads in my email?
• Why doesn’t Google Apps for UWF have the same applications as my personal Gmail account?
• Will I still be able to forward email to another address?
• Will my mobile phone or other mobile device work with Gmail and Google Calendar?
• Will faculty and staff be able to archive Gmail to a pst file?
• Some of the applications on our web-server send outbound e-mails through the Exchange server. Is this going to be possible with UWF Gmail?
• How can I ensure that my account is safe when I use a shared or public computer?
• What policies apply to my UWF Google Apps account?

Getting Help

• What kind of help is available during this change?
• Will the ITS Help Desk provide support for all Google applications?
  

General

What is Exchange email and calendar?
Exchange is the email and calendar system previously used at UWF.

What is Google Apps?
Google Apps is a suite of web applications that includes Gmail and Google Calendar as well as collaboration tools such as Google Sites, Google Docs, and Google Talk.

Why are we moving from Exchange to Google Apps?
Read "Why Google Apps?"

When will faculty and staff move from Exchange to Google Apps?
November 6 is UWF faculty and staff "G-Day"

Will my email address change?
No, all email addresses will remain the same.

Can I choose to keep using Exchange email and calendar?
No, the current Exchange email system will be shut down and cannot be used.

How much is this costing the University?
$0 - Google Apps is free for colleges and universities.

Will the university stop using Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)?
No. Microsoft Office applications will not go away.

What if I already have a Gmail account?
It’s okay if you already have a Gmail account. You will just have another for your UWF email.

Moving Outlook/Entourage/ArgoMail Info to Google

What happens to my old email?
On G-Day, faculty and staff will begin receiving new email messages in their UWF Gmail account (new mail will no longer be sent to Exchange). Also at that time, UWF Information Technology Services will start copying into Gmail all email messages sent/received prior to G-Day.

Due to the number of UWF faculty and staff email accounts, your email may not be copied right away, but all UWF accounts should be complete within several weeks. In the meantime, if you need to reference messages sent/received prior to G-Day, they can be viewed in ArgoMail or Outlook/Entourage for a limited period of time.

Mail that appears in Outlook’s “local archive folders” (what are local archives?) will remain on your computer and will continue to be accessed via Outlook.

What if I all of my mail wasn't copied?
It may take a couple weeks for the email copy to complete. You will be notified by email when the copy is finished. Remember that email messages that exceed 20 MB, folders with slashes in the folder name, and archived messages cannot be copied to Google Apps. If the copy is complete and you are missing emails that don't fit this description, contact the ITS Help Desk.

What happens to my calendar?
Your Exchange calendar will be copied to Google Calendar by Information Technology Services (ITS). The initial calendar copy will contain recurring events scheduled since July 2006, and single events scheduled on January 1, 2009 and forward. In the "Go" phase you will have the opportunity to request a copy of your older calendar events (single events scheduled before January 1, 2009).

What if all of my calendar events weren't copied?
The calendar copy may take a couple days to complete. When the copy is finished, you will receive a Calendar Copy Report listing any events that could not be automatically recreated in the Google Calendar. If these events occur in the future and you are the organizer, you will want to reschedule the events in Google Apps. How do I do this?

What happens to my contacts?
Unlike email and calendar, ITS will be unable to reliably recreate your Contacts in Google Apps. However, you can export your Outlook or Entourage contacts to a file and then import the contacts into Google Apps. How do I do this?

What if I forward my email?
Faculty, staff, departments, and organizations with forwarded email will receive special instructions from ITS regarding the forward.

What if I use an email alias?
If you have an email alias that you set in Argus on the My ArgoNet tab, you will continue to receive email at that alias email address in UWF Gmail. However, if you are using the alias as your "from" email address, you need will need to take an additional step. In the upper-right corner of UWF Gmail, click Settings, then the Accounts tab. Click Add another email address you own, then enter the alias email address that you set in Argus and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you have verified your account, go back to Settings and on the Accounts tab click the make default link beside the alias.

What about department and organization email accounts?
If you work with a department or organization email account, you have two options for accessing the account.

Preparing for the Switch

What do I need to do to prepare for the switch to Google Email and Calendar?
There are three phases to the switch: Ready, Set, and Go. At each phase you will have a set of tasks to complete. You can see the tasks in the Ready, Set, Go section of this website.

I manage an email account or calendar other than my own. What special steps do I need to take?
In the "Get Set" phase you will have an additional list of tasks to complete. You can see the tasks in the Ready, Set, Go section of this website.

About Google Apps for UWF

How do I get to Google Apps for UWF?
Faculty and Staff: gmail.uwf.edu
Students: gmail.students.uwf.edu

What will be my username and password?
To log into Google Apps, you will use your ArgoNet username and password. These are the same credentials you currently use to log into Argus.

How much email storage space do I have in Gmail?
All students, faculty, and staff will receive 7+ GB.

Will Google read my email?
No, Google will not read your email.

Will I see ads in my email?
UWF Gmail will be free of advertisements.

Why doesn’t Google Apps for UWF have the same applications as my personal Gmail account?
UWF Google Apps is part of a suite of applications called Google Apps for Education, which is available for free to colleges and universities.  Google decides which services are included in this suite.

Will I still be able to forward email to another address?
Yes. If your mail is already forwarded, ITS will contact you with information regarding the forward. New forwards can be set up from within the Gmail settings. Please note that after you set up the forward, a copy of your forwarded messages will continue to be archived in UWF Gmail.

Will my mobile phone or other mobile device work with Gmail and Google Calendar?
Probably. See our instructions for common mobile devices, or go to http://www.google.com/mobile/ to see the Google services that work with your device.

Will faculty and staff be able to archive Gmail to a pst file?
Yes. The ITS Help Desk will assist with this process on an as-needed basis.

Some of the applications on our web-server send outbound e-mails through the Exchange server. Is this going to be possible with UWF Gmail?
All of the mail applications know the mail server mail.uwf.edu. Mail.uwf.edu is one of the front-end Exchange servers that will stay in place for the foreseeable future. Therefore, there won’t be any change in infrastructure that will effect mail applications.

How can I ensure that my account is safe when I use a shared or public computer?
Always sign out of Google Apps at the end of your session. If you do not click the button to sign out, the next person who uses the computer may be able to access your information.

What policies apply to my UWF Google Apps account?
Your UWF Google Apps account is subject to the UWF Technology Usage Agreement, the UWF Student Communications Policy, and Google’s terms of service and privacy policies.

Getting Help

What kind of help is available during this change?
This website and Google’s Online Help should be your go-to help resources. Information Technology Services will be hosting a series of three town halls for you to learn more. Of course the ITS Help Desk is always available to take your technical questions.

Will the ITS Help Desk provide support for all Google applications?
The ITS Help Desk provides full support for Gmail and Google Calendar. The ITS Help Desk does not officially support other Google Apps, but will provide their best effort to answer your questions during this transitional period. Help Desk Support Expectations for Google Apps