It is safe to say that there is a lot of strong opinions about whether the new email system interface is meeting its target.  Before one starts to complaint or relay dissatisfaction about what’s missing etc, it makes sense to take a timeout and try to understand what ATS is trying to do with this upgrade.

I think we all can agree that increasing one’s mailbox and including things like calendaring and contacts are steps in the right direction.  There may be differing opinions about the amount of additional disk space and missing functionality of new features.   It is clear that this new email system is significant to some departments and not significant at all to others.  This is the nature of technology at MSU.         

 

What if we were to spend a lot more time at figuring out what’s really needed <not a wish list> to make life easier for students, faculty and staff?  With that, I would end with a few questions to trigger some thoughts:

Is it feasible for MSU to have an authenticator?  By that I mean synchronizing MSUnet IDs with local departmental IDs for departments with their own networks whether they use Microsoft, Novell or an open source solution.

Why can’t I logon safely with my MSUNet ID into my departmental AD domain and access all my resources? 

Why can’t I access my departmental resources when I log into a lab computer?

 

Some of these questions may or may not have immediate answers to them, but finding answers boils down to interests & resources and that is where the rubber hits the road!

 

Firmin Charlot, MCSE, A+, Information Systems Manager

Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services

Educational and Support Services   162 Student Services Building   East Lansing, MI 48824
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Submit technical requests at http://help.ess.msu.edu/