New e-mail would provide more storage space

One drawback is that students cannot send large files.

By Angela Case

Published Nov. 11, 2008

The Missouri Students Association Senate approved a proposal Wednesday to switch MU Student Webmail to a different e-mail server.

The switch, which will be implemented this summer, will exchange the current Microsoft Outlook server for Microsoft Exchange Labs. Jonathan Mays, MSA Senate Speaker and one of the authors of the bill, said Exchange has many advantages over the existing Webmail system.

"Any student who uses Webmail often knows that once you hit 45 megabytes, you can't send messages, and once you hit 50, you can't receive messages. It's just not sustainable," Mays said.

The new system will provide 10 gigabytes of storage space to each student, which is more than 250 times more than the current allocation of 40 megabytes, said David Salek, MSA Senate vice chairman of Student Affairs and a co-author of the bill. Plus, the new program will allow students, including students who will graduate before it is implemented, to keep their MU e-mail addresses even after they graduate.

Although students will keep the same PawPrints, the domain name will temporarily switch from "mizzou.edu" to "mail.mizzou.edu," a stipulation made by the Division of Information Technology.

"We've asked IT to move it back to 'mizzou.edu,' but they say it will require a lot of effort," Mays said. "We'll keep asking them to do it as soon as they can."

Although the proposal was passed last Wednesday, steps toward the transition are already being taken.

"We're actually testing the e-mail accounts right now. Student accounts will be rolled over in summer of 2009," Salek said. 

Salek also pointed out the advantages of the new system.

"It's a little bit easier to navigate," he said. "The Webmail program we have operates off of an older operating system. It's got some flaws inherent in the program."

Some of the most useful features of Webmail will be retained after the switch. 

"Microsoft has worked with us over the past couple of years to understand what we need out of a service," said Kevin Bailey, IT Director of Desktop Technologies. "Students are used to going to our e-mail and seeing all the addresses of everyone enrolled and faculty and staff members. They will still be able to do that."

The university will benefit from the switch as well. According to the proposal, the new program will cost $20,000 per year, a $140,000 savings from the existing system.

One disadvantage to the new system is it does not support the sending of larger files. The proposal states that while the current program allows attachments of up to 50 megabytes, the new program will only allow files of 20 megabytes to be sent. Salek said this problem is alleviated by SkyDrive, a program similar to Bengal Space, in which users can share documents and large files on a common server that can be accessed using a password.

In addition to SkyDrive, Bailey said, the new system offers features such as free Web sites and blogs, and Windows Live Office, a collaboration tool that allows users to post documents for others to view and edit.

Both Mays and Salek said many students have suggested switching to Gmail, Google's e-mail server.

"Google e-mail is too expensive," Salek said. "We're hoping that Google will be an option, but Exchange is the best right now."

Salek said he is confident students will be happy with the switch from Outlook Web Access to Exchange Labs.

"Most students are pretty excited that they get more space and they get to keep their e-mail for life," he said.