We've moved nearly 13,600 accounts to the new Blitz system and have just 2,400 to go before the Blitz2Blitz project is complete. In the next few weeks, we'll move faculty and staff in Computer Science, Biological Sciences, and various Humanities departments, among others. Not sure when you're moving? Check the transition schedule.
If you've transitioned to the new Blitz system, then you have access to Lync online, which provides instant messaging, computer-to-computer audio, and video. Lync is integrated with Blitz Web Access (BWA) and Outlook 2010/2011 and is available, at no charge, for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows phone devices. We're currently engaged in pilot programs to prepare for a Lync awareness campaign this summer, which will be followed by additional Lync communications in the fall. A Dartmouth undergraduate course (BIOL 037) is currently involved in a Lync pilot, in which students use instant messaging capabilities to review exercises with their professor. We've received very positive initial feedback. Please look for more Lync news in the coming months.
Still using Oracle Calendar? We're planning to transition all Oracle Calendar accounts to the new Blitz Calendar (Microsoft Outlook Calendar for Mac or Windows) before June 30. We'll be in touch with you if you're one of the few people still using Oracle Calendar.
On Tuesday, May 1, some Blitz users could not log in to their cloud account via BWA (Blitz Web Access) or clients (such as Outlook 2010/Windows and 2011/Mac). Those who had established connections to their cloud account before the issue occurred, and those who forward their mail to other accounts, weren't affected. We've heard of some concern about Office 365's stability as a cloud-based service. It's important to note that this was a Dartmouth-only issue: Office 365 wasn't down, but our ability to access the system was interrupted. To learn more about the cause of the problem and what we're doing to prevent it from reoccurring, read here.
