As you know, we've announced that Queens College will replace the current QC email for all staff and faculty with Microsoft Office 365. This is very exciting for our user community!
GENERAL INQUIRY
You will have access to premium Office apps you may be familiar with like Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other Office apps like OneNote, OneDrive and Outlook enhanced by readily available smart assistant features. We will enhance our ability to communicate and collaborate seamlessly with our students, fellow employees and educators.
You will have access to the new email with all the different applications of Microsoft Office 365 Mid-February 2021. You can also access and continue to use your old email address up to a full year. But we highly recommend getting acquainted with moving your inbox and start using your Office 365 outlook.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens in Mid-February? QC will replace the current QC email for all staff and faculty with Microsoft Office 365. This period can be considered a cutover between our old email inbox and the new email inbox.
What happens to new email messages addressed to my @qc.cuny.edu address “before” and “after” the cutover? All new incoming email addressed to any of your existing email address(es) will ONLY be sent to your cloud mailbox after cutover. You will know that cutover has happened for you when you receive a final email, specifically to you, in your QC mailbox, stating where to find new messages addressed to you. (To clarify, email sent to your @qc.cuny.edu before the cutover will be sent to your QC Mailbox. Any email sent to your @qc.cuny.edu after the cutover will send to your Cloud Mailbox.)
Will my email address(es) change? No. The system and login credentials you use to access your email will change. You will no longer use your QC Username (CAMS account) and credentials to access your email. You will use your CUNYfirst login credentials (firstname.lastnameNN@login.cuny.edu).
Why is it changing? We have identified some of the recurring network and service issues we’ve experienced on our servers over the past several years. Currently, our email client system operates on local servers located at the college. Network congestion, service provider service interruptions, outdated hardware equipment, operation errors, unplanned network outages caused by electrical blackouts largely due to heavy storms and other circumstances that are either out of our control or have placed a large strain on our systems, result in constant email failure. Also, after moving remotely, we’ve noticed a spike in a majority of our staff/faculty using their email as a file server where large files and other documents are emailed back and forth. This puts a large strain on our already outdated systems. This move to a cloud based system removes this loss of productivity and service disruptions.
What are the benefits? The transition to Microsoft 365's cloud-based email system provides increased reliability, enhanced cybersecurity features, efficient single sign on (using CUNYfirst credentials), 24/7 Microsoft support and accessibility features.
What accounts will this affect? This will only affect how you access your email. This will not affect your QC Username (CAMS accounts), Google suite & Google classroom, Proxyclick, Everbridge, VPN and blackboard access.
When will I have access to the new Microsoft Office 365 cloud mailbox? The week of January 17th. Please check several days before or after. You may receive access earlier or later.
How do I access my Office 365 Cloud Mailbox? To access your Office 365 cloud mailbox, go to https://login.microsoftonline.com/, and login using your CUNYfirst Login credentials: FirstName.LastName##@login.cuny.edu (XX being the last 2 or 3 digits of your EMPLID). Open your OUTLOOK app to view new email. Please note that you will no longer receive mail in your old QC mailbox after cutover. You will be able to access the cloud mailbox a few days before cutover.
Can I access content from my old account/mailbox(@qc.cuny.edu)? Yes. You can still access your content within your @qc.cuny.edu mailbox. However, please note that automatic inbox migration will NOT happen (see next question and answer)
Will my Inbox/folders/emails from @qc.cuny.edu automatically be migrated to the new system? No, your old emails will not automatically be migrated to the new system O365. If you wish, you may copy some or all of the content to Office 365. Allow for an acceptable amount of time to move over your inbox/folders/emails as depending on the size, can take several minutes to several hours. ITS will provide trainings on this process in the future so that you will learn how to quickly and efficiently move your Inbox folders to the new mailbox as well as other content you might need. Microsoft provides an abundance of resources to help you navigate through premium Office applications.
What if I do not have a CUNYfirst account? We are working closely with CIS to provide a full list of individuals associated with Queens College. These individuals will have email accounts configured in the new system. We will provide updates regarding this process.
Can I still send email from my qc.cuny.edu after the cutover? No. On the date of cutover, you can only access new content and send email from your Microsoft 365 account.
Will we lose our old emails? Are we able to keep all emails we have stored? You will not lose old emails. You will retain and have access to your old emails. However, you must manually move it over to the new email account.
Will strawman accounts be included? Yes, they will be available in the cloud-based system
What about people who don’t have CUNYfirst ID? We are working closely with CIS to identify those individuals. They will be provided with email addresses. We will provide an update to those individuals affected (professor emeriti, retirees etc).
Will student (whose student cloud access was already available to them) account combine after the transition with their staff/faculty email? No, they will remain separate. you'll log into your student account with at @qmail.cuny.edu And to your staff/faculty account with your at @login cuny.edu.
Is this system CUNY wide? Microsoft 365 is currently available to all CUNY students, staff and faculty. The cloud-based email is available to students enrolled at Queens College, Lehman College and the School of Public Health. There are plans to move other CUNY colleges to the cloud-based email system.
How will it impact me? You will retain your @qc.cuny.ed email address. You will access your email on M365 using your CUNYlogin credentials. On the date of implementation/cutover, you can only access new content in your M365 account, you will not look in the old space. Email content sent and received prior to the cutover, will be available to you and remain in the old system for a period to be defined.
Are my old emails being migrating? Does the email migration happen automatically? No. This transition does not include migration of old email content to the new system. We're in the process of creating documentation training videos and resources so that users can migrate/transfer/copy their emails into the new system.
Will contacts be transferred too? Yes, contacts will transfer.
Will the rules I’ve set up in my inbox for different accounts transfer as well? Yes, they can export and import out. This may also give you an opportunity to clean up unclear or weird rules.
How many days, will the old system be running or accessible for us to have enough time to do the migration ourselves? You will have ample time to access and migrate/copy/transfer your emails. It will be available to you and have access in the old system for an extended period yet to be defined.
Will we be able to use webmail? There are two types of email services, i.e. email clients and webmail. The email client is an application for the desktop and it allows you to configure single or multiple email addresses. You can compose, send, receive, and read emails from these applications. Example for the Email client is Microsoft Outlook. Webmail is a web application for accessing, sending and receiving emails from a web browser and not necessarily from an email client. It is accessed through browsers. Examples for webmail include Gmail and Yahoo. Those servers can belong to email providers (like gmail or outlook), internet service providers (like Comcast), or web hosting providers (like dreamhost). So Yes, you will be able to use Office.com webmail to access, send, and receive emails, but if you need to transfer content, there is a limitation on the outlook webapp, so you must use the outlook desktop application.
In order to migrate email from the old account to the new system, which email clients will be able to use? Can these changes be completed via a browser? Changes must be made using the desktop or MAC Outlook client. They cannot be made using OWA (web browser version). We recommend using the latest version of Outlook (2019).
What training is being offered? Yes, we will provide full documentation, offer virtual training and additional resources. Current resources we have available are from Microsoft, CUNY and our own QC knowledge base. However, stay tuned for more information on how this transition will provide better long-term services to our faculty and staff user community.
Will this integrate with Navigate? We are working closely with Institutional Advancement to investigate this.