VSU Launches New E-mail System Today

VALDOSTA -- Members of the Valdosta State University community will enjoy 60 times more inbox space and new productivity enhancements when Information Technology launches Windows Live this weekend.

The new system will replace BlazeNet, an online portal through which faculty, staff and students manage e-mails, contacts and calendars. As of 8 p.m. today, users will log into new Windows system instead of BlazeNet at www.valdosta.edu by entering the full e-mail address, ie: johndoe@valdosta.edu. However, all passwords will be reset to YYYYJDXXXX, representing the user's birth year, first and last initials, and the last four digits of their 870-numbers.

Windows Live will be functional immediately for sending and receiving e-mails, but during the transition, some incoming e-mails may be delayed up to 48 hours. Existing e-mails and folders will be migrated to the new service, though it could take up to 10 days before all users see their inboxes fully restored.

Personal calendars will not be accessible during the transition, but institutional calendars at http://www.valdosta.edu/vsu/calendars/ will be unaffected. Users will have the opportunity to manual migrate their calendar entries and contacts after the 10-day transitional period.

On-campus computers with Microsoft Outlook should be rebooted Monday morning to receive new account information. Those using other desktop e-mail clients or smartphones can use the Web interface at www.valdosta.edu or follow the online instructions at http://www.valdosta.edu/helpdesk/faqs/live/ .

The new Microsoft Exchange environment promote workgroup productivity by providing shared calendars, documents, and contacts as well as Web-based versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote applications and integration with desktop-based Office applications, 15 GB inbox storage, and 25 GB document storage, 5GB of which can be shared or public. During the summer, Information Technology staff members will train users and configure Outlook to use the advanced features that will initially be available only through the Web interface.

For personal assistance, call the VSU IT Solutions Center at 229-245-4357 or e-mail  solutions@valdosta.edu.