We're Upgrading SFU Mail

Aligned with the university’s “What’s Next Objective: Transform the SFU experience”, SFU is upgrading to Exchange Online, a new cloud-based email system. This upgrade aims to enhance IT security, improve user experience and improve our ability to use Microsoft’s online resources.

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Overview

Aligned with the university’s What’s Next Objective: Transform the SFU experience and SFU's digital transformation, SFU is upgrading to Exchange Online, a new cloud-based email system. This transition is part of SFU's commitment to enhancing IT security, improving user experience, and enabling access to Microsoft’s suite of products like OneDrive, Teams and SharePoint.

Between 2023 and 2025, all SFU mailboxes will be upgrading to Exchange Online.

 

What I need to Know

TIMELINE

Between 2023 and 2025, all SFU mailbox account will be upgraded to Exchange Online. You will be notified through email at least two weeks prior to your account being scheduled to upgrade. Please note that upgrade batches are not "by department", rather, are determined if a user has a dependency with another user (i.e., users who have the same shared calendar).

Completed:

• Undergraduate student accounts have finished transitioning by April 2024.
• FIC student accounts have finished transitioning by April 2024.
• Graduate Students, Staff, Faculty, Role/Sponsored Accounts have finished transitioning by August 2024.

In progress:

• Retirees will transition between October 2024 and December 2024.

Note: Dates are tentative and subject to change.

 

ACTIONS BEFORE UPGRADE

To ensure uninterrupted access to SFU Mail, take the following actions before your scheduled upgrade:

Using SFU Mail via a Web Browser

• New URL: After the upgrade, access SFU Mail on any device and web browser using the weblink, https://outlook.office.com. Bookmark or save the new link, as the current weblink (https://mail.sfu.ca) will become outdated.
• New Sign-In Format: Your email sign-in format will be "YourComputingID@sfu.ca" on the Microsoft sign-in page when you are upgraded.

Using SFU Mail via Email Applications (i.e., Outlook Desktop, Apple Mail)

• Temporary Interruption: Post upgrade, SFU Mail may disconnect from desktop and mobile email applications. To reconnect, remove and re-add your SFU account. Alternatively, use https://outlook.office.com for continued access on any browser.
• Switch to Approved Email Apps: Only approved email apps can connect to SFU Mail. Check if you're using an approved app and take the required action, if necessary. For a list of approved apps, see: New Changes to SFU Mail - New Requirements.
• IMAP/POP Users: Consider backing up your emails. Post upgrade, you will need to modify your account configuration which can result in lost emails in the process. See IMAP Setup for details.
• Thunderbird Users: Client-sided data, such as email rules, won't be migrated along with your account. You may need to re-add any client-sided data post-upgrade.

Shared Items (i.e., Shared Calendars, Mailbox Permissions, Shared Folders, Delegate Access)

• Temporary Interruption: Post upgrade, shared items may become temporarily unavailable. This typically includes shared calendars such as departmental or vacation calendars, or shared folders. After the upgrade, you may need to remove existing shares and owners of shared items to re-share or re-instate your shared items to continue their use. If the owner or the delegate/share recipient are upgraded at a different date, shared features will be limited until both users are upgraded. See our FAQs and Common Issues for details or visit the how-to guide on:
  • Re-sharing a Shared Calendar
  • Re-add a Shared Mail Folder or Mailbox

Using Third-Party Apps

• Approved Third-Party Apps Only: Post upgrade, only SFU-approved third-party apps will connect to SFU Mail. Learn more.

Using Shared Sponsored Accounts (or Role Accounts)

• New Sign-In Format: Your email sign-in format will be "YourSponsoredAccount@sfu.ca" on the Microsoft sign-in page when you are upgraded, including when you are using Delegated Login. See Sponsored Account Sign-in Instructions.

Tips

• Your email signature on the browser version of SFU Mail will be lost during the upgrade. You can add it back once the upgrade is complete.
• Bookmark this webpage for easy access to troubleshooting resources.

 

ACTIONS AFTER UPGRADE

Using SFU Mail via Web Browser

• New URL: You can access SFU Mail on any device and web browser using the weblink, https://outlook.office.com. Update any bookmarks to point to the new SFU Mail Outlook weblink.
• New Sign-In Format: Sign-in with "YourComputingID@sfu.ca" on the Microsoft sign-in page.
• New Features and Environment: Explore new features and check if you have everything. You may need to re-add your email signatures.

Using SFU Mail via Email Applications (i.e., Outlook Desktop, Apple Mail)

• Temporary Interruption: Check if your desktop and mobile email applications can send and receive new emails from SFU Mail. If not, remove and re-add your SFU account. Alternatively, use https://outlook.office.com for continued access via any browser.
• Use Approved Apps: Only approved email apps can connect to SFU Mail. For a list of approved apps, see: New Changes to SFU Mail - New Requirements.
• Consider switching to Outlook: Outlook for Desktop and Mobile are fully supported by the university. We encourage you to use Outlook as it offers the best experience with SFU Mail.
• IMAP/POP Users: Consider backing up your emails. Post upgrade, you will need to modify your account configuration which can result in lost emails in the process. See IMAP Setup for details.
• Thunderbird Users: Client-sided data, such as email rules, won't be migrated along with your account. You may need to re-add any client-sided data post-upgrade.

Shared Items (i.e., Shared Calendars, Mailbox Permissions, Shared Folders, Delegate Access)

• Temporary Interruption: Post upgrade, shared items may become temporarily unavailable. This typically includes shared calendars such as departmental or vacation calendars, or shared folders. After the upgrade, you may need to remove existing shares and owners of shared items to re-share or re-instate your shared items to continue their use. If the owner or the delegate/share recipient are upgraded at a different date, shared features will be limited until both users are upgraded. See our FAQs and Common Issues for details or visit the how-to guide on:
  • Re-sharing a Shared Calendar
  • Re-add a Shared Mail Folder or Mailbox

Using Third-Party Apps

• Approved Third-Party Apps Only: Post upgrade, only SFU-approved third-party apps will connect to SFU Mail. Learn more.

Using Shared Sponsored Accounts (or Role Accounts)

• New Sign-In Format: Your email sign-in format will be "YourSponsoredAccount@sfu.ca" on the Microsoft sign-in page when you are upgraded, including when you are using Delegated Login. See Sponsored Account Sign-in Instructions.

Tips

• Check your Junk Folder: Check your Junk folder more frequently. The increased spam filtering may send some legitimate emails to your Junk folder.
• SFU Mailbox Storage: In the new Exchange Online, your mailbox size won't automatically increase in capacity. Make sure to delete unneeded emails regularly and keep an eye on your storage usage. You will receive a notification if you're close to reaching your limit.

 

New Changes to SFU Mail

For a quick summary of the changes:

• New Features
  • SFU Mail now has the latest Outlook email features
  • SFU Mail on Browser will communicate with other Microsoft 365 apps.
  • Outlook on Desktop will have more integration with Microsoft 365 suite.
  • Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 Apps (e.g., Bookings, Planner) will now communicate with SFU Mail.
• New Requirements to connecting to SFU Mail
  • By integrating SFU Mail with the Microsft 365 suite, new security requirements ensure better data security for the SFU community and compliance with provincial privacy regulations.
  • Only approved third-party email applications and tools can connect to SFU Mail. For details, see our External Tools/Apps Changes and FAQs.
  • Connecting through IMAP/POP configurations now require OAuth2 authentication.
• Service Changes and Limits
  • Mailbox storage limits are determined by your assigned Microsoft licensing. All current SFU staff and faculty have up to 100 GB of mailbox storage.
  • With modern accident prevention features available to SFU Mail, email backup are not provided by SFU/Microsoft to ensure efficient use of resources.
  • SFU Mail is secured by Microsoft enterprise-level security.
• Compatibility
  • Older mobile devices may not be able to connect to SFU Mail through email apps. For continued access, you can always access SFU Mail through the new weblink, https://outlook.office.com on any browser.
  • Older browsers will continue to work on SFU Mail.

For more information on changes and new features, see New Change to SFU Mail.

How do I know if I have upgraded to Exchange Online?

There will be two major changes once your account is upgraded to Exchange Online:

• You will be asked to log into Microsoft when signing into SFU Mail. Your sign in email will be “YourComputingID@sfu.ca”.
• The user interface will be modernized when accessing SFU Mail on browser.