The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) webmail migration into the cloud has hit minor turbulence as its alumni remain stuck with an older server-based email system.
In November 2010, UTS announced a move from an in-house Sun Java Enterprise System platform to Microsoft’s Live@edu cloud-based email system. The migration to the cloud was set to include all current staff and students as well as former students at the institution with a project deadline of December 24, 2010.
But while students have all been transferred to the new system, alumni are still waiting. UTS director of information technology, Chris Cahill, claimed there was no problem with the email system.
“We’re not rolling it out at the moment because Microsoft is doing an upgrade to their product line and we don’t want to conflict with them,” he said. “The big impetus was to get it out for students by the start of semester…when Microsoft finishes the upgrade we’ll continue with the rollout.
“We don’t need to buy the [new] product because it’s covered in our licensing agreement with Microsoft.”
Cahill claimed the only technical problem faced by the project was getting alumni that had re-enrolled onto the Microsoft webmail platform.
UTS isn’t the only Australian institution that moved onto Microsoft’s offering, with Adelaide-based Flinders University moving 16,000 students from mid-2010.
The University of Sydney made the move to Live@edu in May 2010, the Queensland University of Technology in March 2010 and Curtin University in September 2009.
ARN contacted Microsoft for comment, but it was unable to provide a response by time of publication
