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Lehman College

Lehman College Faculty and Staff Email Migration (FAQ's)

Overview

Q. Why did Lehman migrate email?

A.Moving to CUNY’s Microsoft Exchange environment provided a contemporary, robust email and collaboration platform for Lehman faculty and staff. The new email system will enable a host of new features. For example, Lehman faculty and staff can now look up users and schedule meetings more easily without the need for other tools. It will be easier to synch email with your mobile devices, and the standard mailbox size has increased to 5 gigabytes. Through Microsoft Lync, in 2014, Lehman will introduce instant messaging to faculty and staff and increase the use of video-based meetings.

Q. Will my email address or login information change after we migrate?

A. No, your email address and your user name and password will remain the same. You will also access email in the same way. What will change is the look and feel of the web-based Outlook WebApp (OWA), and the Outlook desktop email client (if you are not currently an Outlook user). We have workshops scheduled and support material available to assist faculty and staff in the transition. The workshop schedule is posted on the Faculty and Staff Workshop Schedule page.

Outlook WebApp (OWA)/Outlook

Q.  Will the Outlook WebApp meet my email needs?

A.  Faculty and staff will find that Outlook WebApp (OWA) can meet most needs.  OWA allows you to access youremail, calendar and contacts from any Internet-connected device. In fact, OWA adds several useful features not previously available.  For example, you can easily add email, calendar and contacts to your smart phone through ActiveSync and you can share your calendar with colleagues.  If you need to delegate the management of your calendar to another person, this function needs to be completed through the Outlook desktop email client.

Login to OWA from the Lehman home page or from Lehman Connect. You can also go directly to https://mail.lehman.edu.

Q. What is Microsoft Outlook for the Desktop?

A. Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager, available as a part of the Office suite on your desktop or notebook computer. Many Lehman faculty and staff will use Outlook WebApp, others will use Microsoft Outlook 2010 for PCs and Microsoft Office Outlook 2011 for Macs. While Outlook is primarily used for email, its features also include a calendar, task manager, contact manager, among others. Outlook can leverage the features of Microsoft Exchange Server and Lehman Connect (Microsoft SharePoint) for users to schedule meetings, share mailboxes, calendars, and public folders.

Q.  What browsers can I use with OWA and are add-on’s required?

A.  OWA is best viewed using Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome browsers on Windows PCs, and Firefox or Safari on Macs. Mac users may be asked to update Java or Silverlight. PC and Mac users may be asked to enable pop-ups.  Please sign-out and close your browser after every OWA session to ensure your security.

Q. Are there alternatives to Outlook on the desktop?

A. In addition to Outlook, Mac Mail works well with Exchange, and Thunderbird is compatible with the ExQuilla add-on. Note that not all Exchange/Outlook features will work completely with other desktop email clients.

Q. In the past, I have experienced infections when using Outlook. How can I be sure this won’t happen again?

A. While nothing can guard against every kind of malicious email, most such email will be caught before it enters our environment through a comprehensive email security tool that guards against virus, spam, and other malware.

You do not have to use Outlook on your desktop. You can use Outlook WebApp (or OWA), where email resides on the server. Outlook WebApp can also be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.  Login via a link from Lehman Connect or from the College home page.

Features

Q. If I schedule meetings with OWA or Outlook, will I be able to confirm an attendee’s availability and see their acceptance of an invitation?

A. Yes, Outlook WebApp and Outlook will allow you to select a Lehman faculty or staff email address and check that person’s availability in the ‘Scheduling ‘ option. Known as a “free/busy” search, this will enable you to find the most convenient time before sending a meeting notice. When the attendee accepts the invitation, you will be able to view their responses by reviewing the meeting entry.

 Q. It would be great if you could integrate the directory into Exchange email.

A. Users will have access to a "Global Access List" that enables easy look-up of Lehman faculty and staff email addresses. You will be able to add a recipient to your email with one click.

Q. Will there be any issue with having two Exchange accounts?

A. If you manage two (or more) email accounts, you will be able to access, view and search these accounts in the same view.

Q. Is email forwarding allowed?

A.CUNY IT security guidelines do not permit email forwarding. However, you will be able to leverage Lehman email on desktop computers and mobile devices through ActiveSync (see below). Only your Lehman email account may be used for CUNY-related email correspondence. Please do not use any email account, CUNY-provided or otherwise, to transfer confidential, private or personal information.

Q. Will you be migrating any of our preferences, and do I have to set up new email t signatures from scratch?

A. Preferences are not migrated and will need to be re-established in the “Preferences” tab of Outlook (or “Options/Settings” within Outlook WebApp). It is recommended that email signatures include your name, title, department, the College name, phone number, and the Lehman website link. This information should generally be in four lines and in plain text format to accommodate all types of mobile browsers and email programs.

Q.  How much space do I have on the new email system?

A.  Users are allocated five Gigabytes.  This is an increase over the space that was previously available.

Configuring Desktop Computers/Smart Phones

Q. I keep my calendar in Google (or Eudora). Can these be migrated to Exchange and Outlook?

A. Calendars can usually be exported from one mail system to another. Google and Eudora both have tools to facilitate this. Please contact the Help Desk so that a member of the IT support team can assist you. There are several benefits in maintaining your calendar in Exchange. First, it will be easier to set up meetings and conduct free/busy searches within the Lehman community. Meeting invitations and responses will be seamlessly integrated between your email and calendar. You will also be able provide permission to share you calendar with people in your area.

Q. How can I have email, calendar and contacts on my mobile phone/tablet?

A. Exchange ActiveSync allows mobile devices to easily synchronize data with Exchange mailboxes. As a result, your email, calendar, contacts, and tasks can be synchronized to most smartphones and tablets with a Wi-Fi or cell network connection. Your device should have a screen lock enabled to ensure that email and other private information is protected. Should your device with Lehman email be lost or stolen, please notify Venu Gopal, Lehman IT Security Officer at venu.gopal@lehman.cuny.edu.

Click here for guides to connect your phone with the new email system.You can also use this handy smart phone and tablet setup wizard. Note that if you choose to sync contacts, duplicate entries may appear on your device.

Q.  I want to have email on my office (or home) computer.  What can I do?

A.  While many Lehman faculty and staff will use OWA, others prefer to access email using a desktop email client, including Outlook or Mac Mail. Desktop clients allow you to store and manage email on your computer. The Outlook client provides additional features, including the ability to delegate the management of your calendar. To enable access to your Lehman email account, “add a new account” in your desktop email client.A guide to help connect your email client with Exchange can be found here. In most cases, your desktop email client will “auto-discover” your Exchange account. Depending on the size of your account, email may take some time to completely load.

Please make sure that your screen lock, firewall and virus protection software are enabled. You can also download the MS Office suite for home use at the CUNY portal e-mall.

Legacy Email

Q. I need access to my previous email.  How will this work?

A.  As of July 11, 2013, the former email system no longer receives new email. Email from January 1, 2011 forward was migrated to your new email account.  If you need email prior to 2011, you can access Webmail from the OWA login page, or from Lehman Connect. Within Lehman Connect, you don’t need to sign in again to access OWA or your previous Webmail. Please note that you can only send email from your former email account to yourself or to a Lehman colleague with an Exchange account. If you need further assistance, please contact the Help Desk.

Q. I have some emails with documents or photos that are part of Lehman’s history. I don’t want these to be lost.

A. We want to keep these treasures, as well! The Library maintains an archive of Lehman’s history. Please email these important documents and photos to history.lehman@lehman.cuny.edu.

Future Plans

Q. I am not yet on Active Directory, will that have an impact on my ability to use Exchange and Outlook?

A. We are implementing Active Directory (AD) throughout the campus. You will still be able to leverage all the features of Exchange even if your computer is not yet connected to AD. The AD project will be completed in mid 2014.

Q. What is Microsoft Lync and how does it work?

A. Microsoft Lync is a suite of communication tools that enable instant messaging, voice chat and audio/video conferencing. Users in a conference have the capability to share an application, such as a PowerPoint presentation with other participants. Lehman is developing the Lync environment, which will integrate initially with Lehman Connect and eventually be integrated into Exchange.

Q. Will there be connectivity to Lehman office voice mail as well?

A. Planning will start soon to connect the voice mail system to your email to create a unified inbox. When implemented, you will receive voice messages as an email attachment and be able to listen to messages from anywhere. This project is expected to be completed in 2014.

Technical Support

Q. Where can I find help?

A.  Help resources and quick start guides can be found here. For assistance, please contact the Help Desk, at help.desk@lehman.cuny.edu, or at 718-960-1111.