The cloud file storage service, Box, will be withdrawn during 2020 after significant changes to our licensing model. Meanwhile, there have been major changes in the Microsoft landscape including: the upgrade to Windows 10; the impending release of a new version of Office, which integrates seamlessly with the Office 365 online app suite; and great improvements in SharePoint and OneDrive (their cloud file storage apps).
All of the above gives us a real opportunity to transform the way we work together on an institutional and team basis. From a teaching, research and learning perspective, Office 365 creates opportunities to improve communication and collaboration with students and staff.
What is Office 365?
Office 365 encompasses most of the tools and services most of us are using daily in our work, teaching and research. Features include:
• Your mailbox: We have completed the migration of the majority of staff mailboxes to Office 365.
• OneDrive: A place to save your individual work files, OneDrive has the same or better functionality than Box.
• SharePoint: The place for shared departmental documents. We will help you to migrate your departmental shared folders / files from Box into SharePoint.
• Teams: Your teamwork hub. Create a profile for your team or project group. Teams gives you integrated chat, video calls and discussion channels, as well as linked Filestore (in SharePoint) with the ability to work on documents alongside your team members.
How do I access Office 365?
There is a link on the Portal homepage which takes you to Office 365. Please note: You are not expected to be using SharePoint and OneDrive until your faculty / service area migrate their content from Box. Therefore, there is no need to take any action until IS approach your area.
How will the rollout be managed?
We will start approaching departments to discuss your file storage requirements and the migration of data, from Box to SharePoint, in the coming months. We will run drop-in sessions for staff, from late February, to introduce the concept of Office 365 and to share our migration plans. Keep an eye on the Staff Roundup for more details. If your faculty / team are interested in being migrated in the early stages of the rollout, please contact Trish Davey.
Anything I should be doing now?
Yes – please have a look at your departmental and individual files in Box. Think about whether you need to keep everything that you have in Box, or whether files can be deleted. This will help when it comes to identifying content for migration to Office 365.
Resources
The IS website has beginner guides for the Office 365 apps.
We are also developing a set of FAQs as the rollout progresses: these are in the Office365 section on UniDesk.
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Information Centre Information Services University Library University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Tel: +44 (0)1786 467250 Email: information.centre@stir.ac.uk Web: stir.ac.uk/informationservices |