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New Employee Email

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1. What is Office 365?

Office 365 is an online (“cloud”) email service from Microsoft offering 25 GB (gigabytes) of mail storage (quota) and other collaborative features, such as Exchange calendars.

2. Is that bigger than my current email quota?

Yes! Staff typically has about 100 MB (megabytes) of storage, so they will get up to 250 times more storage space for email.

3. What is a “cloud-based environment?”

This is a shorthand general description for computer applications and services that reside on network servers accessed through the internet, instead of local servers on the city’s network. The cloud-based environment avoids the need to synchronize files across multiple devices and simplifies access to current messages and files from both desktop and handheld/mobile devices.

4. How will I access my e-mail and calendar?

Office 365 is accessible through the Microsoft Outlook clients or using Outlook Web Access interface through your web browser. POP access is available to access your account through other third-party clients. Outlook 2007 and above is required to access Office 365.

5. Will I be able to access my email via the web, tablet and/or smartphone?

Yes, Office 365 offers Exchange ActiveSync to provide access from a number of devices.

6. Is my information safe “in the cloud”?

Microsoft follows the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) when developing software. The process entails a series of security-focused activities and deliverables during each phase of Microsoft’s software development process. Before software can be released, it must undergo a final security review by an independent development team. Software that has undergone the SDL experiences a significantly reduced rate of security vulnerabilities being discovered.

7. When will the e-mail migration happen?

The specific migration schedule for each department is yet to be developed, but it is expected to begin in April and be concluded June.

8. Will my email address change?

No, you will keep your existing email address.

9. Will my password change?

No, you will log into the system using you existing domain name and password.

10. How will I change my password on the new system?

You will not need to change your password on the new e-mail system. We have gone to great lengths to provide you a single sign on solution that uses your domain username and password so when you log onto your PC you will be logged into the e-mail system as well.

11. Do I need a new email client?

Possibly. If you use Outlook, you must be using Outlook 2007 or 2010. Older versions will not work. If your PC is not in compliance then in the coming weeks your PC will be upgraded or replaced. If you access the e-mail system from your home PC you will need to upgrade your outlook client or use the web interface.

12. Will the new system have spam filtering?

Yes, like our current system, spam filtering is built in. Spam will be delivered to your Junk Mail folder for you to examine, and the system will learn as you tell it some things are not junk.

13. Will mailbox and calendar sharing permissions (delegates) be migrated or will they have to be set up again?

Delegate permissions will migrate, but will require that users with delegation be migrated together. Occasionally the delegations will break and need to be setup again. If you need help contact the help desk to walk you through this process.

14. I check my mail using my iPhone/iPad. Will that work with the new system?

Yes, once you are converted your device should auto discover the new settings but in the rare occasions that does not happen there are instructions to step you through that easy setup.

15. I check my mail using web mail. What will change for me?

The web mail client will be significantly improved.

16. Will Outlook web access work differently for people using browsers other than Internet Explorer?

According to Microsoft, the complete set of features available in Outlook Web App will be available in the following browsers:

• On a computer running Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 Internet Explorer 7 and later versions, Firefox 3.0.1 and later versions, or Chrome 3.0.195.27 and later versions.
• On a computer running Mac OS X 10.5 and later versions, you can use Safari 3.1 and later versions or Firefox 3.0.1 and later versions.
• On a computer running Linux, you can use Firefox 3.0.1 and later versions.
• If you use a Web browser that doesn't support the full feature set, Outlook Web App will open in the light version.

For complete information, see http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/bb899685.aspx Also, see our list of videos for OWA.

17. Can I move my existing mail to the new server?

All your mail currently on the existing servers should be migrated for you

18. What about my archived mail / PST files?

If you currently use PST files (Outlook archive files) they will continue to work as before, stored on your local PC, or you may choose to upload them to the server where you can access them from anywhere. In the same way, mail stored on your local PC in standard mailbox (mbox) files can be used as is or uploaded to the new server.

19. Will all my contacts, notes, etc., be transferred?

If they are stored on the server, they will be transferred along with your mail.

20. What do "Free" and "Busy" mean in the calendar?

These are terms used in scheduling meetings and do not indicate whether someone is really free or busy.

21. Will the connection between my computer and the cloud server be secure?

The email connection types (Exchange, POP, IMAP, and SMTP) all support SSL encryption to secure your connection, and the web mail client uses https to secure your connection.

22. Will my username and password be handled securely in the cloud?

For active authentication by Outlook 2007+, Exchange Active Sync (EAS), or POP/IMAP clients, credentials are passed encrypted to Office 365 servers and relayed to the customer’s on-premises ADFS servers secured via SSL. For web-based authentication, user credentials are passed between the client and the customer’s ADFS servers over SSL and never pass to Office 365 at all.

23. Will my data be handled securely in the cloud?

Office 365 provides the ability to encrypt data at rest by supporting technologies that can encrypt the content of emails and/or files. The supported technologies for data encryption at rest include Microsoft’s Information Rights Management (IRM), S/MIME and PGP Email encryption and have the advantage of allowing the customer to maintain full control over the encryption infrastructure and key management on their premises.

Office 365 support for data encryption for at rest technologies is designed to minimize the risk of information leakage by encrypting the content, allowing access only by the intended users and by extending the protection beyond the initial publication location. Microsoft’s IRM goes further by restricting the actions allowed on the protected content and also encrypting Office application document attachments.

Office 365 mitigates against the risk of unauthorized physical access with extensive physical protections in their datacenters and operational procedures.