exchange it! information

What is exchange it!? And what is it with the transfer it! and exchange it! options we keep talking about?

Due to the size of our campus population and the mail format used in the OU Mail system, transferring all email, folders, and contacts for every OU mailbox would have taken almost a year.

Because of the state of the existing mail hardware, this was unnacceptable. We considered "exchanging" everyone, i.e. leaving their mail on the old server and just giving everyone a fresh start on the new system. This would:

We decided to let students choose: transfer your mail to the new system (transfer it!) or leave it behind and begin using Exchange on August 1 (exchange it!).

We promoted the exchange it! campaign very heavily in the Spring semester, urging students to log into http://account.ou.edu and register their preference for transfer. About 18,000 students responded.

For business continuity purposes, we did not offer this selection to faculty and staff.

Below is the description of this process we posted to the account page for registration purposes:

exchange it! enhance your OU email.
OU IT began August 1 replacing oumail with Microsoft Exchange 2007, a more reliable, feature rich mail service. You have two options for transferring to the new system. Please read the options carefully. You can help ensure the longevity and reliability of Exchange by choosing “exchange me!” Visit http://exchangeit.ou.edu for more information.
                   
exchange it!
Do not transfer my existing mail items. I would like to begin using an empty Exchange mailbox on August 1. I understand that I can view previously existing mail online via the oumail website until January 1, 2008. However, only messages sent after August 1 will appear in my new Exchange mailbox. 

transfer it!
Please transfer my existing mail before making my Exchange account active. I understand that transfers will not begin until AFTER August 1 and it could be up to 10 weeks before my oumail account is transferred. I will remain on the oumail system until all of my oumail is transferred to Exchange.  

Ask a question about exchange it!