Supporting SFU's Digital Transformation with Exchange Online

SFU IT Services is excited to share that faculty and staff will soon be migrated to Exchange Online (EXO), a cloud-based email platform. This modern platform will better support the academic, research and administrative needs of the university community. By providing the community access to modern collaboration and productivity resources and services, we’re advancing our digital transformation goals and helping to transform the SFU experience. 

Working closely with our local IT partners in each faculty and unit, we’ve planned the migration in phases intended to minimize disruption to your academic and work environment. SFU IT is currently migrating undergraduate students' email accounts to Exchange Online, with the move set to be completed in April 2024. Graduate students, faculty and staff email accounts will be migrated to the new platform starting in summer 2024.

Benefits of EXO include:

• Improved security with built-in spam, phishing, and anti-malware defense.
• Seamless integration with other Microsoft applications, enhancing collaboration and efficiency.
• Automatic software updates and security patches.
• Consistent and reliable email access, which is critical for maintaining academic and administrative continuity.

What to expect

Users who have already transitioned to EXO’s cloud-based server have experienced a seamless migration process. Your email setup is expected to transition smoothly starting Summer 2024 to the new system with minimal input/effort required from you. Stay updated with any communications from the migration team for specific instructions or changes.

Important cybersecurity and privacy updates

To align with EXO's rigorous cybersecurity and privacy standards and to ensure the best performance, SFU IT recommends using Microsoft apps such as Outlook to access SFU Mail. All external tools, particularly those critical for teaching, research and business, must meet the modern internet security and privacy requirements to work with SFU Mail. Apps that don’t align with these requirements will stop working. Third-party apps and tools may include but are not limited to, scheduling tools such as Calendly, project tools like Asana, productivity tools such as Evernote, email add-ins like Grammarly, and CRM systems such as HubSpot. Ensuring cybersecurity compliance is important to maintain a secure and reliable email system at SFU. 

SFU IT has begun to compile a list of known approved tools/applications list.

If you do not see your app on the list, please submit a ticket to IT ServiceHub before April 5, 2024. This will initiate a review process to check whether your tool/app meets the necessary cybersecurity standards before your account is migrated.  

Please contact your local IT partner or IT ServiceHub with any questions.  

To learn more about the move to Exchange Online, visit the Exchange Online Transition webpage.