Photo Courtesy of Information Technology
Information Technology announced that the Pepperdine email system will transition to Google, adopting Gmail, Google Calendar and the Google application suite (GAFE), Chief Information Officer Jonathan See wrote in an email.
Survey feedback inspired the migration over to the Gmail system, according to the Information Technology announcement that further explained the changes.
A firm date for the change to all email accounts will be communicated soon, See wrote. However, moving over to Pepperdine Gmail can take place immediately.
See wrote that the official change is set to take place mid-2016 and that students and faculty can look forward to the benefit of a “user privacy” preserved account.
“With GAFE, students will no longer miss messages from the University because their Exchange inbox was full,” See wrote. “Google does not scan messages and hence, there are no advertisements.”
According to the surveys, community members thought an email system with more benefits, such as a larger inbox capacity and a system that integrates Google Apps, would be more convenient.
See wrote that students and staff can look forward to “a limitless inbox, less spam and no more archiving.”
The switch over to Gmail was inspired by three primary factors that motivated Pepperdine students and staff to seek adjustments to the email system.
“Faculty and staff preferred an email solution that has greater inbox capacity. Microsoft Exchange email accounts [had limited] inbox capacity for students to 250MB, and the institutional cost of maintaining Exchange continues to increase,” See wrote.
Because Exchange has been an expensive outlet to maintain, See wrote that Pepperdine sought to adopt “an email solution that is proven and readily available in the cloud for free.”
Senior Greta Davis said she already made the switch over to Gmail, and she said she still believed that the migration to the new system would be the best option for the student body and the Pepperdine community.
“I think as a whole [this change] would definitely be beneficial,” Davis said. “Some of my friends who still have the Pepperdine email are still complaining about having to delete important emails because their mailbox is constantly full.”
Another benefit is that students “will be able to retain their Pepperdine email address for life,” See wrote.
Junior Amberly Gil said keeping her Pepperdine email after graduation would be especially convenient because she wouldn’t have to worry about signing up for an unknown account afterwards.
“I think that Gmail is probably better,” Gil said. “Having all of the Google Apps connected to my Pepperdine Gmail along with having my Pepperdine email for life would be really useful.”
For additional information about the switch over to Gmail, students can visit the Information Technology website.
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Follow Vanessa Dillon on Twitter: @v_nicoledillon
