Microsoft meets University challenge
Microsoft meets University challenge
May 26, 2009:The University of Sydney is now rolling out Microsoft Live@edu email accounts to all of its 46,000 current enrolled students.
The University’s IT project management team tested and benchmarked a variety of options, finally deciding that Microsoft’s Live@edu solution best met the University’s needs and offered their students a highly effective communication service.
The choice by the IT project management team was then put forth to representatives of the student body, who, along with several other key academic and administrative stakeholders across the University, piloted the solution before agreeing that Live@edu was the best fit for their needs.
The University of Sydney’s IT Department, CIO, Bruce Meikle, said the increased capabilities of the Microsoft solution made Live@edu an appropriate choice during competitive testing.
“The Live@edu service met all our internal IT requirements and offers functionality that the University’s system could not compete with. Our students now have the advantage of a greatly increased mailbox capacity as well as the option to have an email account for life,” said BruceMeikle.
“As well as these student benefits, the IT department now has an easy to manage and scalable email service that will help take the University into the future,” continued BruceMeikle.
The Live@edu service will host student email accounts and provide increased mailbox capacity (10GB) and 20MB attachments as well as calendaring and contact management.
Other features available through Live@edu, but not part of the initial University of Sydney offering to its students, include: Windows Live Messenger instant messaging and file sharing; Windows Live Spaces for personal web publishing, blogging and photo sharing; andFolderShare , a private peer-to-peer network that allows users to synchronise files between multiple devices and share files with other student users.