UW-Milwaukee selects Microsoft Office 365 for campus email and calendaring service

MILWAUKEE –The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has selected Microsoft Office 365 as the campus’s cloud-enabled collaboration suite. The decision follows an exhaustive campus-wide comparative evaluation of service options.

The work of UWM’s “Email Future” project team was first informed by a 2011 UWM task force report on email and calendaring systems. That task force’s recommendations helped to narrow the field to Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Education. In September 2013, an in-depth evaluation of both products was launched that included vendor demonstrations, lessons learned by those who had implemented the products at UW system and other comparably-sized universities, environment and user testing, on- and off-campus subject matter expert input, and a comprehensive customer survey.

In his spring plenary address, Chancellor Lovell urged the community to offer feedback on the summary report prepared by the University Information Technology Services (UITS) leadership team, available on the project website – EmailFuture.uwm.edu.  After careful consideration, Microsoft Office 365 was ultimately chosen for its lower cost, enterprise compatibility, additional storage, enhanced security, and favorable contractual terms and conditions. The cloud-enabled suite will be much less costly to maintain than the existing campus email system, pantherLINK, while offering greater reliability and a significantly broader feature set.

“Our UITS staff conducted excellent research to determine our best options,” said Chancellor Lovell. “I appreciate their work and recommendations, plus the insightful feedback that we received from individuals across campus to help us reach this final decision.”

Under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer Bob Beck, UITS will begin immediately to plan a multi-phase implementation process.  Updates will be shared at EmailFuture.uwm.edu and in campus publications and announcements.

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As Wisconsin’s premier public urban institution, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee enjoys a growing national reputation for excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. On an operating budget of $705 million, it educates approximately 27,800 

students and is an engine of innovation for Southeastern Wisconsin. The 104-acre main campus and satellite sites are located in the economic and cultural heart of the state. The university’s recent expansion includes new academic and research facilities, including
the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health and the only School of Freshwater Sciences in the nation.

 

(Contact: UWM University Relations and Communications)