ES Mail Retirement
Quicklink(s)
OIT migrated all active ES Mail (aka Webmail) accounts to either Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 in an effort to increase email security. The migration happened on a rolling schedule, and each user group was notified with ample time prior to their ES Mail accounts being migrated and subsequently deactivated.
Why is OIT Decommissioning ES Mail (aka Webmail)?
As part of the larger security initiative championed by UC Regents, the Email Security Initiative was created to proactively address an increasing frequency of malicious online attacks worldwide.
Attacks on email systems, such as phishing, account compromises, malware injections, and data breaches cost the higher education sector almost $3M on average per incident. Data belongs to the institution, and our objective is to minimize UCI’s vulnerabilities to potential attacks by moving to modern, secure services.
Decommissioning ES Mail and migrating existing users and their data to enterprise-grade, secure email systems is a key step in our plan to raise the bar on the security and integrity of UCI’s data.
Goals
- Increase email security by decommissioning ES Mail and migrating existing users and their data to enterprise-grade, secure email systems. This is part of the larger security initiative championed by UC Regents.
Deliverables
- Migrate existing ES Mail users and their data to enterprise-grade secure email systems (Gmail or Microsoft 365)
- Retire legacy ES Mail Service
Migration Schedule for Retirees, Emeriti and College of Health Science (CoHS)
Audience | Migration Dates | Status |
---|---|---|
Retirees | April 20 – June 5, 2023 | – Stage 1, Complete – Stage 2, Complete – Stage 3, Complete |
Emeriti | April 20 – June 5, 2023 | Complete |
CoHS (Only staff whose email is not delivered to Health Sciences Microsoft 365) | Mid-April – End of June 2023 | Complete |
CoHS with HS Delivery Point – Accounts will not be migrated. Data will be exported to HS servers. | June – August 2023 | Complete |
Miscellaneous Accounts that did not migrate with their cohorts. Stage 1 Migration | Starts June 16, 2023 | Complete |
Migration Dates for Schools and Departments
School/Department | Cutover Date | Status |
---|---|---|
Engineering | January 30, 2023 | Complete |
Merage | February 6, 2023 | Complete |
Arts | February 6, 2023 | Complete |
Education | February 6, 2023 | Complete |
Law | February 6, 2023 | Complete |
ICS | February 6, 2023 | Complete |
Biological Sciences | February 13, 2023 | Complete |
Physical Sciences | February 27, 2023 | Complete |
Intercollegiate Athletics | February 27, 2023 | Complete |
Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) | March 6, 2023 | Complete |
Academic Affairs | March 6, 2023 | Complete |
Executive Management | March 6, 2023 | Complete |
Student Affairs | March 6, 2023 | Complete |
Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning (OVPTL) | March 6, 2023 | Complete |
Division of Continuing Education (DCE) | March 27, 2023 | Complete |
Libraries | April 3, 2023 | Complete |
University Advancement | April 3, 2023 | Complete |
Office of Research | April 3, 2023 | Complete |
Early Adopters
The following schools and departments were early adopters. Migrations were completed in the Fall of 2022.
Department/School | Cutover Date | Status |
---|---|---|
OIT Staff | September 14, 2022 | Complete |
Social Science | October 10, 2022 | Complete |
Humanities | October 17, 2022 | Complete |
Social Ecology | October 31, 2022 | Complete |
Overall Progress
- Technical Pilot – Complete
- Support Infrastructure – Complete
- Communications – Complete
- Early Adopters Stage 1 Migration – Complete
- Cutover for Early Adopters – Complete
- Production Stage 1 Migration – Complete
Project Status
- Percentage Complete 100%
Project Phase
Closed
Communities Affected
- UCI Campus
- College of Health Sciences
Start Date
July 2022
Estimated Completion Date
Spring – Summer 2023
Key Stakeholders
- Client: ES Mail Users
- Sponsor: Henry Jenkins
- Project Manager: Steve Noh
Client Support
Meet Your Future Email Service!
Learn more from the Support Hubs for M365 and Gmail.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I configure my existing devices to connect to Microsoft or Google?
You can configure your devices based on your mailbox’s cloud provider by following the instructions in these links:
What should I do prior to the migration?
Both M365 and Gmail require email clients that support modern, secure email protocols. Check that your desktop and mobile email client versions are compatible with your new email service.
We recommend using one of the following clients that have been tested:
- Apple Mail running on macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and above.
- iOS Mail running on iOS 11.3.1 and above.
- Microsoft Outlook 365, Outlook 2021, and Outlook 2019, any version on macOS and Windows. (Outlook 2016 may not work due to known limitations.)
- Mozilla Thunderbird version 78 and above (macOS and Windows)
- Android Gmail app – Android 8.1 and above
If your email client is not listed above, please upgrade or install one of those email clients for continued access to email from your desktop or mobile device.
When will I be migrated?
The migration will begin in late July with select departments and will continue until Summer 2023 on a rolling basis. Detailed target dates and groupings will be determined and announced via email. Updates will also be posted here on the project website.
What will happen during the migration?
The migration process has three steps:
- Initial Migration
- The migration team will begin by copying all of your existing mail from ES Mail to the target email system. No data will be deleted from ES Mail.
- This process will occur in the background. You should not experience any disruption in service.
- Cutover Day
- Your Mail Delivery Point (MDP) will be set to the target email service.
- Your access to ES Mail will be disabled to preserve the integrity of your ES Mail data post-migration.
- Post-Cutover
- You will be notified that the cutover is complete.
- Please check to ensure your email and folders are available in the new email service.
What will happen to my calendar and recurring meetings?
- If you have been using M365 or Gmail for your calendar, it will not be impacted during any step of the migration process.
- If you are using the calendar in your local email client, you will need to set those up in the target email system.
Will I be moved to the campus Microsoft 365 (M365) or UCI Gmail?
- Academic Schools – The email system will be decided at the School level and selections will be announced via email.
- Non-Academic Staff – You will be migrated to M365.
- Retirees will be moved to M365.
- Exceptions
- Faculty and staff who are already using either M365 or Gmail will continue to use their current email service, and all prior ES Mail data will be moved to this service.
What if I have old emails in an ES Mail account but I’m already using Gmail or Microsoft 365? Can I get my old emails moved over?
Yes, all of your ES Mail data will be moved to the new email service and available for you after the migration is complete.
Does the migration do anything to my email or folders?
- ES Mail supported folder name lengths and attachment sizes that modern email systems do not.
- Folders with names that exceed the length permitted by M365 or Gmail will be truncated. If truncation would result in duplicate folder names, subsequent folders will be appended with a number.
Example:- This_folder_name_is_too_long
- This folder_name_is_too_long1
- Attachments that are larger than the target system will support will be moved into a folder in OneDrive or Google Drive, respectively, and a link will be inserted into the email pointing to the external file.
I don’t see all of my email or folders. Help!
- Please rest assured that no data from ES Mail is deleted or altered, so if your own validation finds something unusual none of your data is lost.
- If you do see anomalies with your folders or attachments, please contact the OIT Help Desk at (949) 824-2222
What if I am unable to upgrade my email client?
How do I check my Group UCInetID email once it is migrated?
Microsoft 365
If your Group UCInetID email is migrating to Microsoft 365, you can access your group account email via Outlook on the Web (OWA) using “Open another mailbox”. See “Microsoft 365: How to access your mail via Outlook on the Web“.
If you cannot access the shared mailbox, you may need to be added to the Security Group (SG). See the article above to learn more and request access from the OIT Help Desk.
If you use Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016, see “Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook“.
Gmail
If your Group UCInetID email is migrating to Gmail, you can simply log in to Gmail directly or configure your Gmail account using the Group UCInetID and password.
Is my email address changing? I was asked to log in using my ucinetid@ad.uci.edu address.
No, your email address is not changing. It will still be ucinetid@uci.edu.
- ucinetid@ad.uci.edu will be your username if you are logging into Microsoft 365 (or Outlook.com/uci.edu). It is only used for sign-in/authentication purposes.
- Please note that your Microsoft365 (ucinetid@ad.uci.edu) password is different from your UCInetID password.
I have Webmail bookmarked in my browser. What is the new website for my email?
- Microsoft 365 (M365)/Outlook – https://outlook.com/uci.edu
- Gmail/Google Workspace for Education (GWE) – https://mail.google.com/a/uci.edu
How can set or change my password for Microsoft 365?
You can change or reset your Microsoft 365 password using the Password Change tool. You will need to authenticate with your UCInetID and password.
Where is my ESMail folder located? I clicked on my ESMail folder and did not see any of my old emails.
Your ESMail folder is on the left-hand side of your screen, where your folders (Outlook) or labels (Gmail) are seen.
- Open the ESMail folder by clicking the down arrow (encircled in red). You may need to scroll down to see the rest of the folders you’ve created.
- Your ESMail Inbox contents will be found in the folder/label called “IMAP Inbox”.
Gmail Folders
My department/school is scheduled to be migrated at a future date? Can I ask for my email delivery point to be changed in advance?
We are scheduling you as part of your department’s or school’s migration and we are asking you to wait until then.