Recommendation for changing IFAS IT e-mail client support:

• Status: approved by ICC on 11/3/04 by a narrow majority
   
  The ICC shares IFAS IT's concern over the difficulties and costs involved in supporting and testing a large number of e-mail access clients on end-user computers. Consequently, we are recommending that they be allowed to limit e-mail client support to only the current version of Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Web Access (i.e., webmail). IFAS IT will continue to support IMAP and POP access without providing end-user assistance in e-mail client configuration for those means of access.

  Dissent: Certain unit IT staff will continue to support whatever client their users wish to use. As a result, those staff are concerned that the level of IMAP and POP server-side support be maintained at an adequate level to assure their continued successful use. Some felt user-driven client diversification desirable and that there are cons to standardization regardless of the efficiencies it promotes. It was also mentioned that the current overload of the HelpDesk is due more to the multiple concurrent projects now underway than it is directly to the number of e-mail clients that must be supported.