The new software update known as Office 365 was said to be implemented throughout Montgomery College as of Oct. 2015. It is now November, students and staff have not seen any changes regarding the rumored update. However, we should be able to access it at noon on Nov. 15.
“The goal is to introduce Office 365 within this calendar year,” said Anwar Karim, Chief Technology Officer at Montgomery College Rockville.
“Any solution designed for a 60,000+ user base is a complicated effort. Office 365 is no exception,” said Karim. “Good news is, we are near completion with the complicated work and we are now making final preparations for the deployment.”
“Office 365 is a suite of cloud-based collaboration and productivity services which provide access to familiar Office software from any device,” said Carl Whitman, VP of Instructional and IT/CIO, last month.
The update was said to be more efficient and well-organized while bringing simpler and more attractive technology to the Montgomery College community, according to Karim.
Technical changes surrounding the implementation of Office 365 were said by Karim to “increase in personalized email gigabyte limits, optimized access for mobile devices, and online access to the latest Office software.”
The change that would affect students most is the change regarding student e-mails.
With Office 365, the actual Microsoft office would become your official Montgomery College student email service, predicted to have taken effect in mid-October. Students e-mails would change to outlook, a service under the Microsoft software.
Like the software update itself, this change has not yet taken place. It confused many students and staff who were instructed to delete and/or save all important email files in preparation for the new system.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, students received a blast email regarding the release date of the Office 365 software.
The email briefed students on the new changes the software would bring and discussed new means regarding access tools and collaboration efforts.
“We told you about some of the great features in Office 365. Now we’re telling you that you will get access to them at noon on November 15, so mark your calendars!” said the IT office.
Karim explained that the project was one that would take time and careful steps towards completion, but promised that progress was indeed being made.
Karim also said, “For many months, Montgomery College has been working to put in place the programmatic part of the user life-cycle management required for the large Office 365 implementation.”
“It is important to remember that with big projects, comes patience. Fortunately for MC students, its staff is well on their way to producing new and efficient software said to make all our lives a lot easier” said Karim.
According to Karim, “Office 365 should be very worthwhile for everyone at the College.”
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Office 365 you may contact the IT office by email at [email protected] or by phone at 240-567-7222.