Google Initiative

Welcome

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has begun work on plans to integrate Google applications for use at the University.

A University Google account will offer, in addition to e-mail, access to the University Google Apps suite, and will provide users the opportunity to share documents with others in the University Google space. 

 

Google Apps Implementation Update Nov. 23, 2009

The Google Apps for the University of Minnesota implementation remains on schedule. 

The Office of Information Technology is in the final stages of finishing the due diligence work that will lead to student, faculty and staff adoption. This work involves the University's internal audit department and the University's internal IT security and assurance department.

We have begun a phased implementation of Google Apps to some student groups, and those groups will receive an invitation by e-mail when they are eligible to sign up for an account. We expect to be in a position to begin offering accounts to faculty and staff in the next several months, and will continue to work with University IT leadership on that adoption plan.

For more information, send e-mail to help@umn.edu.

 

Preparing for the Transition 

If you would like to sign up for a University Google account, there are some things of which you should be aware. Please read the following advisory items.

It's important that you consult your local/department technology support staff before signing up for Google Apps for the University of Minnesota, as they may be able to help or advise you on certain steps that may be appropriate based on your (unit's) specific computing environment.

If you've been in the practice of storing large messages or attachments, a large number of messages, executable file types, or storing important information in your Sent or Trash folders, it is recommended that you take this opportunity to go through your mailbox and those folders, and clean them out in order to help ensure a smoother, quicker transition to Gmail, and to avoid losing any messages.

Before you opt in:

1. Delete mail that can't be moved:
   • messages in your Trash folder that are more than 30 days old;
   • messages larger than 25 MB, including attachments;
   • mail accounts larger than 6 GB total;
   • executable files that could contain damaging executable code, including .exe, and files such as .zip, .tar, .tgz, .taz, .z, and .gz that contain an .exe attachment. Those types of files that do NOT contain .exe attachments are acceptable and should transfer without issue.
2. Delete any unnecessary items.
3. Move any messages in your Trash folder that you need to keep into your Inbox or other folders;.
4. Save larger messages or attachments elsewhere, such as in a file or folder on your computer, or portable storage device.

Once you have completed the opt in process, the Google project team will begin to migrate your existing mail to your new Gmail account. The most recent 30 days worth of mail in your Inbox, Sent, and Trash folders will be moved first. The remaining messages in your Inbox and Sent folders, as well as mail in other folders, will follow later.