The Enterprise Information Technology Services team will select candidates for the University’s new e-mail system through a series of automated, online surveys during the next few months.

“We need to take time to define our user requirements and priorities,” said Greg Ashley, senior associate CIO of EITS.

All operating systems are fair game at this point, Ashley said, but those that are “rising to the top” are Microsoft Exchange, Novell, Zimbra, hosted MS Exchange, Gmail and Mirapoint.

“We have not identified any solutions that are off the table or front runners, but one or two factors about Microsoft Exchange are appealing,” said Shawn Ellis, director of client services for EITS. Exchange holds 70 percent of the e-mail market share, meaning it is well supported across the board, he said.

He said hosted solutions – such as Gmail and Microsft Live – present some challenges with privacy and open records.

“Because it is a hosted solution, the data is stored out of state and off site; so that presents some concerns about insuring compliance with FERPA,” or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

EITS will begin ruling out applications with help from the surveys, which will allow students and faculty to prioritize a list of more than 70 user requirements.

Examples of user requirements are increased content space, a user-friendly web interface, collaboration tools – such as shared calendars and team sites – and a better spam filter.

Ashley said he hoped to narrow down the options for possible operating systems by the end of this calendar year. “Once we have a short list, we will do a thorough testing of each application with focus groups of students and faculty,” he said.

Ashley said he could not predict when EITS would ultimately select and implement a new system.

“There are too many variables at this point to determine when it will be implemented,” he said. “A lot of it will hinge on the ability to obtain funding. We would like to move forward as expeditiously as we can.”

Ashley said EITS will have to negotiate funding with the University, because this project is not part of the University’s regular operating budget. He did not indicate concern regarding their ability to obtain funding within a budget crisis.

“It is too preliminary to make any judgments on whether the budget will affect implementation. I know the University is committed to the technological needs of its students and faculty.”

The Office of the CIO and EITS will host its annual Company Planning meeting to encourage feedback from students, faculty and staff about campus technology needs.