Status: approved by ICC on 2/11/2005
ITPAC has recommended that IFAS standardize all e-mail
user accounts to the "GatorLink@ufl.edu" format by July 2005. There are two options in how this might be implemented,
described as option 2 and option 3 in the ICC prepared document
"Options for a Standard IFAS E-mail Address".
The ICC strongly
supports option 3, under which all IFAS users will be required to use Exchange. This is believed to be the only option
that will simplify and stabilize our e-mail situation sufficiently to justify the pain involved in making the suggested
standardization. If we standardize on "GatorLink@ufl.edu", but allow users to choose between UF and IFAS as their
official mail provider, the e-mail address itself will no longer indicate which service is being used. Consequently,
there will be no way for IT support to assist unless the user knows those details. Further, by requiring everyone to
use IFAS Exchange, we can automatically provision accounts and eliminate the need for our users to request and
maintain two separate e-mail accounts. The ICC believes that requiring everyone in IFAS to use Exchange is the only
option that would truly address the ITPAC concern that this is to be the "Last and Final E-mail Change"--at least from
the end-users perspective.
Additionally, the ICC recommends that this change be coordinated to occur in conjunction with the extension
of the Gatorlink namespace (due in early July 2005 ) and that IT should also provide a method to allow end-users
to easily take advantage of that increase by making a one-time change to their Gatorlink username.
Dissent: Jack Kramer is not convinced that we need to use Exchange at all. Should that be the case, however, this
is the implementation which he would support.
