Big changes are coming to Microsoft 365 in May 2023! Beginning May 17, 2023, the university will migrate phone calling from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. In addition, the Microsoft 365 cloud storage suite will be compliant with federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws.
In January 2024, Microsoft will stop supporting Skype for Business, the application the university currently uses for phone calls. The Collaboration Portfolio Advisory Group (CPAG) was formed in 2021 to evaluate online collaboration tools and recommended that Microsoft Teams be the university’s primary communication and collaboration tool.
FERPA-Compliance
Technology Services is partnering with the Office of the Registrar to further protect student educational records by making Microsoft 365 cloud storage (Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint) FERPA-compliant. Three main changes are being made to Microsoft Teams on May 17 to allow student records to be stored in the Microsoft cloud:
- Limiting cloud storage integration within Teams to Microsoft cloud storage products (OneDrive, and SharePoint) and U of I Box
- Establishing a 10-year file retention policy
- Disabling integration with unrestricted third-party applications
Why are the Changes Being Made in May?
Making these changes in May allows the spring 2023 semester to complete before any changes are made, reducing the impact on faculty and students. Migrating from Skype for Business to Teams in May provides the university time to fully transition before the deadline approaches, thus decreasing IT spend.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a suite of services including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and productivity applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access (formerly known as Office 365).
Where Can I Learn More?
Several online resources are available to further explain upcoming changes and answer your questions:
Support
We realize there are a lot of moving parts associated with the upcoming changes and that units will require support through the transition. The Teams Ambassadors Group is a volunteer collective of cross-functional staff from campus units who have gathered to support colleges through the Skype-to-Teams transition and Microsoft Teams adoption. The Teams Ambassadors, in concert with Technology Services, are available to support you through this process. The Teams Ambassadors group has identified individuals in each unit to help coordinate assistance. Please contact your local IT unit for support.