Migration Communications

Dear UConn Community, 

We are writing to share the University's plans to transition from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365. 

The University has offered faculty, staff, and students two platforms for communication and collaboration – Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.  Both service frameworks are available to everyone at UConn, with the exception of email and calendaring.  Student email is hosted on Google (Gmail) and faculty and staff on Microsoft 365 (Outlook).  Community preferences and certain security and management considerations have resulted in students primarily using Google apps to create and store files, while employees have been more strongly associated with Microsoft 365. 

Having our community on two different platforms causes problems.  Files and the technology are largely incompatible, which impedes file sharing, collaboration, and full use of features.  People often switch back and forth between the two, disparate systems.  We have continued to support both, despite the challenges, because of those preferences and because Google historically offered educational institutions free and unlimited storage.  This changed in 2022 when Google unilaterally changed their terms and conditions.  The institutional relationship is now effectively no better than a personal relationship. It is no longer free, and the expense scales with usage.  For a large university with substantial storage needs, the cost is significant, and hard caps/quotas are necessary.  Further, Google expenses are duplicative of the university's existing and ongoing enterprise relationship with Microsoft.   

After carefully considering cost, security, capabilities, and complexity, we have made the difficult decision to unify UConn onto a single feature rich platform by phasing out Google and transitioning students to Microsoft 365.  All active students, incoming and returning, will have their email and calendaring on Google this academic year.  ITS will begin to migrate data stored on Google to Microsoft 365 after the Spring 2024 Semester ends.  Alumni will receive notifications this summer to move their files to personal storage solutions by April 2024. 

For additional information and a detailed timeline for the transition, visit: its.uconn.edu/google-to-microsoft-365-transition/.  Please contact us if you have comments, questions, or concerns by sending a message to GoogleMigrations@uconn.edu. 

Regards, 

Dear UConn Alum, 

I am writing to inform you of changes to your UConn Google account. 

When you graduated from UConn, you were able to keep your Google account, which included email services and storage in Google Drive.  UConn was able to extend these services because Google offered free and unlimited storage to educational institutions.  This past year, Google unilaterally changed their terms and conditions, moving their service to a fee-based model.  The expense scales with usage and, for a large university with substantial storage needs, the cost is significant.  Therefore, we have made the decision to discontinue our relationship with Google. 

Below is how this change affects you. Action is required. 

UConn Email Address: As we phase out Google services at UConn, we can no longer host a mailbox for former students, but you will still be able to keep a UConn email address.  We are setting up an optional email forwarding service where you will be able to point your http://uconn.edu email address to a personal, non-UConn email account.  Email sent to your http://uconn.edu address will then be automatically forwarded to your designated mailbox.  You will receive another message from us in the coming months with instructions on how to enroll. 

Data Storage: Files stored on your UConn Google Workspace account (e.g., data in Drive, emails in Gmail) need to be moved if you wish to keep your data.  The Google Takeout tool lets you download a copy.  Takeout will generate a .zip file that you can move to a personal storage solution (e.g., a local disk or your non-UConn Google account).  The tentative deadline to move your data is April 1, 2024.  Any data that remains in alumni accounts after this date will be subject to deletion.  

More information about this change and why we made this decision is available at http://its.uconn.edu/google-to-microsoft-365-transition .  Please contact ITS if you have comments, questions, or concerns by sending a message to GoogleMigrations@uconn.edu. 

Regards, 

ITS will begin applying 15GB storage limits on student Google accounts this fall. 

• For accounts that use less than 14.5GB of storage, ITS will apply the limit on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.  

• Students with accounts approaching or above this limit will receive a direct message from ITS with guidance and a deadline. 

Note: Storage is shared among Drive, Gmail, and Photos. You can see how much storage you are using under Google > Settings > Storage. 

How will this limit affect me? 

If your storage is under 15GB, you will experience no impact. As you approach the limit, you’ll see a notification about your storage status. If you go over the limit after it has been applied, you will be able to send and receive emails and view your files; you will not be able to edit existing files or create new ones. 

What should I do if I’m over the limit? 

If you are close to the limit or over it, you should delete old and unwanted files. You can also use the Google Takeout tool to download files and move them to alternative storage. 

Why is ITS doing this? 

We are transitioning our community from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365.  This decision was prompted when Google discontinued free, unlimited storage and moved to a fee-based model in 2022.  We purchased a plan with Google to avoid a sudden loss of services.  This plan, however, does not provide unlimited storage. To meet the terms of the contract and prepare for the move to Microsoft 365, we need to start managing storage now. 

For additional information, contact the Technology Support Center at http://techsupport.uconn.edu  

Dear UConn Student, 

Information Technology Services (ITS) will be applying a 15GB storage limit on student Google Workspace accounts starting on Wednesday, October 4th. We are making this change to comply with the terms of this year’s contract with Google and to prepare for the migration to Microsoft 365 in 2024. 

Our system indicates that you are approaching the 15GB limit and will have less than 0.5GB of storage available to you once the limit goes into effect. We recommend managing your files now by either deleting old and unwanted data or transferring it to alternative storage, like your UConn OneDrive account. If you go over the 15GB limit, you will still be able to send and receive emails and view your files; but you will not be able to edit existing files or create new ones in Google Workspace. 

For assistance managing your files, contact the Technology Support Center at techsupport@uconn.edu or http://techsupport.uconn.edu . 

Regards, 

Dear (Name),

We are reaching out to you to initiate the migration of your data from Google Drive to Microsoft OneDrive.

The University recently announced that we are phasing out Google Workspace services and migrating services and data to Microsoft 365. Google discontinued free and unlimited storage to educational institutions and moved to a fee-based model with limits on pooled data. We currently exceed the storage allotted in our contract, and we have until 2024 to be below the collective limit. In order to meet this obligation, we will be imposing a 15GB limit on UConn Google Workspace accounts.

You are receiving this message because you have more than 15GB of data stored on your account, and you need to be below the 15GB quota by DATE. Any work-related files should be transferred to Microsoft OneDrive; personal files can be moved to a personal storage option.

ITS is available to transfer the data for you, and we strongly recommend that we assist you if you store large quantities of data. You may also choose to download your files from Google Workspace and upload them to OneDrive.

Contact us at GoogleMigrations@uconn.edu to schedule your migration or for additional assistance.

Regards,