From:	Lasley, Steven E
Sent:	Tuesday, September 06, 2005 7:59 AM
To:	Jesseman, Dwight
Subject:	Re: GatorLink Name Change for IFAS Employees Website
Dwight,
   I provide my comments in-line below. Hope they help you.
Steve
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Purpose:  The Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee (ITPAC) approved a plan for IFAS email users to have an official email address.  The official email address would be GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu.  ITAPC felt that with Gator Link single sign-on, Outlook Global Address List, WebCT and one consistent email address, this would be a positive move for IFAS.  Legacy email addresses such as @ifas.ufl.edu, @mail.ifas.ufl.edu, @fpo.ifas.ufl.edu, wec.ufl.edu would still function and you would still receive email on those other addresses.

   I like the overall organization with purpose, plan, date and q&a sections. I would tend to leave out much of the technical aspects/details from the "Purpose" section, however. For example, I would relegate mention of ITPAC to the q&a and make it a link to the ITPAC website at http://itpac.ifas.ufl.edu. This might be a "Who made the decision to make this change?" question. I would also try to avoid using "GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu" but rather refer to the new addresses as being made up of their GatorLink username followed by "@ufl.edu". That avoids confusing those (and we all know they exist) who would believe their email address would literally be "GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu". 
   Consequently, I would re-write the Purpose section along the lines of…
IFAS is moving to a new standardized e-mail address format that will consist of an individual's GatorLink username followed by "@ufl.edu". The main goal is to shorten and simplify our standard e-mail addresses with minimal impact on faculty and staff. Existing e-mail addresses such as @ifas.ufl.edu, @mail.ifas.ufl.edu, @fpo.ifas.ufl.edu, @wec.ufl.edu, etc., will continue to function but all e-mail will be sent with the "reply to" address in the @ufl.edu format. A secondary goal is to incorporate all IFAS faculty and staff accounts into our e-mail address system so that we may all more easily communicate.

Plan:  All IFAS employees would have GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu as their official primary email address.  Users would still maintain their legacy email addresses.  Users would have as their return email address GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu.  IFAS employees would be placed into two categories: 1) a user with an IFAS Exchange mailbox or 2) a user with an external email address.  Since all inbound email would flow though GatorLink, email would be either be forwarded to an IFAS Exchange mailbox or an external email address (example: County email address).  If a user has an IFAS Exchange mailbox they would be required to forward their email to their IFAS mailbox. If a user had an external email address they could update their forward email address.  We will be setting up this initial forwarding process for you.

All IFAS employees would show up in the Outlook Global Address List.  An email user utilizing the Global Address Book to send an email would send to either an IFAS Exchange Mailbox or an external email.  Will all the IFAS employees in the Global Address List, users will not have to update their contacts with changes. 

Since the ListSERV (email list service) uses the return email address to allow for posting, we will change all entries in the IFAS directory (directory.ifas.ufl.edu) as well as all other lists.  We will also change any lists that you might be on for UF.

   The above changes make the first two sentences of the plan unnecessary, as they have already been stated. For the Plan section, I would recommend the following…
   Since we will be using "@ufl.edu" addresses, in-bound e-mail will pass through the GatorLink system before being forwarded on to IFAS. The proper forwarding settings at GatorLink will be done for you. If you are an IFAS employee with an outside e-mail address (e.g., a County e-mail address), the forwarding will be handled accordingly for you as well. (I might recommend a little diagram to show the new flow routes--a picture can be worth many words.)
   The "reply to" addresses for current @ifas.ufl.edu, @mail.ifas.ufl.edu, @fpo.ifas.ufl.edu, @wec.ufl.edu accounts will be changed to reflect the new "@ufl.edu" standard. The former addresses will continue to exist as aliases, so e-mail addressed as before will still be delivered. 
   In this process, all IFAS employees will be added to our e-mail address system. This means it will be easy for users of webmail or the recommended Outlook e-mail client to find the e-mail address of any employee.
   For those of you who subscribe to e-mail list services (ListSERV), the e-mail addresses by which you may post to those will be changed for you on IFAS and UF lists. The HelpDesk will be available to assist on problems occurring with lists to outside entities.

 	 Date:  Tuesday December 27th (Start of Dead Week) 

   I'd replace "Date" with "Date of Implementation". I would also mention that this change can be made immediately for individuals, groups or departments who wish to make the change earlier. I would also mention here or elsewhere that people should make plans to advertise their "@ufl.edu" addresses in the near future and that they should feel free to discuss this matter with their local support person or with the HelpDesk.

I like the idea of a Q&A, but will leave off commenting on those for now. This is something that can be somewhat dynamic based on the feedback IT support folks get. I suspect a "How can I change my GatorLink username?" will be one to add, however.

 	 Questions and Answers:  

	Q:  What is an IFAS Exchange mailbox?

	A:  If you use a mail client and connect to IFAS mail server for email, calendaring, contacts and the Global Address List, you are using an Exchange mailbox.

	Q:  Can I get an IFAS mailbox if I do not have one now?

	A: Yes, you can request a mailbox as any time.

	Q:  Can I drop my IFAS mailbox and get an external email address?

	A:  Yes, and we will backup your current mailbox and provide it to you in a file format.  You can still maintain your legacy email addresses as well.

	Q:  Can I start the process now and use my GatorLink email address?

	A:  Yes, we can get you set up now.  You will have to update your UF list posting yourself.  UF only wants to make this a one time change for a bulk list of users.

	Q:  How long will my legacy email address be available for receiving email?

	A: 10 years.

	Q:  Can you track email if I having difficulties sending or receiving email?

	A:  Yes, I can track any email in our email system and GatorLink will work with us on any email issue.

	Q:  I hear GatorLink is down sometimes, will there be outages if we are dependant on their email system?

	A:  The email forwarding system, the part that we will be utilizing, is very robust and will function even if GatorLink mailboxes are unavailable.

	Q:  I have a service account, will it's email address change?

	A:  No, service accounts do not have GatorLink email addresses.  They will remain ServiceAccountName@ifas.ufl.edu

	Q:  During the change to new email addresses, will I lose any email?

	A:  No, we are simply adding your GatorLinkUsersName@ufl.edu to your existing account and making it the return address.  

	Q:  This is very confusing, who do I contact to get it explained in simpler terms?

	A:  Contact the Help Desk, (353) 392-4643